Controller of Minds
by V Tsuion
Summary: To his surprise, perhaps the greatest foe the Millennium Puzzle had ever faced was his own vessel, a young man by the name of Light Yagami. The most infuriating impediment to the spirit of the Millennium Ring's plans was his new host, the mysterious detective, L. Yugi Muto didn't know who to trust, but he would defend his friends at all costs. Sequel to "Stealer of Souls"
1. Staring Contest with an Inanimate Object

**Note: Thank you everyone who has stuck around so long and made it to this point! I am finally proud to present Controller of Minds!**

 **Any and all comments are appreciated! I will keep editing the story as people suggest revisions.**

* * *

Day 1:

"Are you sure you're alright in there?" Touta Matsuda's electronically amplified voice echoed around the small chamber that filled the many screens of a surveillance station.

The whitewashed cell's lone inhabitant gave a shallow nod in lieu of an answer. The young man sat in a stark metal chair, his legs crossed as though meditating. His wide, sunken eyes were transfixed on the golden ring that lay before him on a table. His hands were cuffed together in front of him and a long chain dangled from his ankle, pooling on the floor in a small mound. The other end of the chain wrapped around one leg of his chair.

The chair for the detective and the table for the ring were nailed to the floor in the middle of the room. One wall jutted out into a concrete bed, topped with a thin mattress and sheets. A metal toilet and sink were nailed into a far corner. There was only one door, bolted shut. A dark one-way mirror was set in the middle at eye level, reflecting the cell back at itself.

The Ring glimmered under the harsh interrogation light. The eye at its center seemed to wink. L stared back at it, his face a mask of intense boredom. He watched the Ring with over-wide eyes, cushioned by heavy bags and lined with crows feet. His mouth was set in a perpetual shallow frown. Wild black hair threatened to block his line of sight all together, sticking out at odd angles.

Every few minutes, he lifted his hands with a clank of the cuffs tying them together. His hands moved towards a porcelain teacup, filled to the brim with tea and sugar, sitting on the table between him and the Ring. Holding the teacup daintily with one hand, the other dangling behind, he lifted the gradually cooling liquid to his lips and took a single sip. Then, he returned the teacup to its saucer with a clink and returned to his vigil. His eyes never left the Ring.

Light seemed to dance across the Ring's shimmering surface and ricochet between the spikes splayed out around it.

The detective may have blinked.

L moved his hands, lifted his teacup to his lips, took a sip, and returned it to its saucer. His gaze did not waver, matching the frozen, unblinking eye set in the center of the Ring. Sip by sip, the teacup slowly emptied of liquid and sugar until only dregs of either remained.

* * *

Day 2:

L blinked into awareness under the harsh interrogation light. The eye of the Millennium Ring glared at him from the table.

He unfolded a little, and stared back at it. It did not yield.

L opened his mouth to speak and let out a horse noise that could not be identified as words in any language.

He tried again, "I have experienced no change."

After a moment's pause he asked, "For how long was I unconscious?"

"Er… About five hours, I guess," Matsuda answered. He sounded a little foggy.

The crinkling of papers and clicking of keys followed, echoing over the intercom. L lifted his teacup from it's saucer between the thumb and forefinger of his lower hand, only to find it empty of tea and sugar. He avoided the unblinking gaze of the Millennium Ring, which sat unmoved, glistening in the center of the table.

Matsuda spoke again amidst the sound of shuffling movement, "I'll send you down another teapot." Then, he remarked, "Why haven't you touched it yet? Do you think something's going to happen otherwise? I didn't feel anything while I was taking it to you, only when I touched it."

L chewed at his thumb in thought, before finally answering, "It may be able to communicate without contact."

"You think so?" Matsuda exclaimed.

"It's a possibility," L said.

Matsuda hesitated to ask, "Do you think it could also take control of you like that - without having to touch it?"

"It is unlikely. If it could, I suspect it would have already. Unless touching the Ring just makes it more powerful..." L chewed at his thumb in contemplation.

"I hope it can't do anything remotely like that!" Matsuda hastily tacked on, "Except just talk, that is. Then you won't even have to stay locked up!"

"Don't be careless."

"I won't!" Matsuda protested, "I was just saying…" he trailed off.

L ignored him. His wide-eyed stare was already affixed to the Ring.

* * *

Day 9:

Watari's crisp, accented voice sounded over the intercom, "I have the latest reports on the suspects."

L gave a shallow nod in lieu of a reply. His eyes did not leave the center of the Ring, and he continued absently swirling the latest cup of tea with a miniature spoon as Watari spoke.

Watari continued, "Chief Yagami is still unable to locate Mr. Howard. Mr. Muto, Mr. Wheeler, and Mr. Bakura all continue to appear to be ordinary children. Mr. Bakura has been searching for the Millennium Ring. His wanderings have brought him nearly to our doorstep, but he does not seem to have focused on this building specifically. Otherwise, he has done nothing unusual. Miss Valentine still has not been seen since she went to work at the Kaiba Corporation three days ago. Mr. Kaiba also appears to be missing. Chief Yagami cannot say for how long on account of the difficulty of trailing him.

"According to Mr. Kemo, Mr. Kaiba is being held hostage in his own headquarters by the five executives who worked with Maximillion Pegasus to take over the Kaiba Corporation during the Duelist Kingdom Tournament. Apparently he is being kept unconscious inside a virtual reality game of his own invention. Miss Valentine was hired to test the game and has been working continuously for the past three days. Despite this, she appears to be doing fine. Mr. Mokuba Kaiba was also detained, but escaped and has been missing since."

"What about Light Yagami?" L asked. He lifted the spoon from the still swirling tea and laid it back down on the saucer with a clink.

"Miss Miasora has little to report. He continues to achieve the highest marks at school, attends cram school in the evenings, and spends most of his remaining time studying. This past weekend, he went on a date with a girl from his class. Miss Miasora has not seen him take out the Millennium Puzzle. He appears ordinary to a fault." Watari concluded, "No more comatose criminals have been reported."

L took a sip of tea and sugar, then he said, "Thank you, Watari."

The intercom turned off with a click and the faint buzz that had accompanied it stopped. L was left alone with the Ring once more.

* * *

Day 10:

Streaks of light shivered across the pyramid that formed the heart of the Ring, bending into arrows around the eye. Shadows curved around the outer band, pooling on the edges and stretching out to encircle it. L stared at the Ring with wide eyes and the Ring stared back at him, unblinking. And yet, nothing happened.

L took another sip of sugar tea.

Then, he settled the teacup back in its saucer and picked up the miniature spoon between the forefinger and thumb of his upper hand. He maneuvered the spoon across the table, past a bowl half-filled with brightly colored candies, toward the golden Ring. He held it just above the Ring so its tip was almost touching the Ring's outer circle.

Then he closed the distance. The tip of the spoon tapped the edge of the Ring with a faint metallic chime.

Nothing happened.

The Ring did not move. L did not recoil, or change position.

His eyes closed and opened in a slow blink. L removed the spoon from the ring, put it back down on the saucer, and took a long sip of tea, but his gaze remained fixed upon the ring. After another sip, he put the teacup down and picked up the spoon once more.

He prodded the Ring with the spoon again. Again, nothing occurred.

He tapped one of the spikes attached to the outer circle. Nothing.

He poked the triangle at the center. More nothing.

He touched the spoon to the center of the eye set in the triangle. No response.

He tried prodding each part of the Ring again for good measure. Still, nothing happened.

As the ringing of metal hitting metal faded from the cell, L returned the spoon to the saucer where it belonged.

He stared at the Ring as he took yet another sip of tea, and then another.

The cup was nearly empty by the time he turned his attentions back to the bowl of candies beside it. He picked up a blue one and instead of popping it into his mouth, as he had with all the others before it, he held it up to his eyes and examined the glossy sphere from all angles. At last he lowered it towards the table. He extended his arms until the candy, hands in tow, was a few inches above the eye of the Millennium Ring.

L held the candy there for a moment and turned it one way and then the other as though he were showing it to the Ring, offering the candy to it.

The Ring made no move to accept.

L lowered the candy and tapped it against the eye of the Ring. He elicited no response from the artifact.

He touched the ball of hardened sugar to the Ring again and held it there.

Seconds passed. Still nothing.

L removed the unscathed candy from the unaffected Ring and ate it.

Some time after he was done, he spoke, "I have experienced no change."

* * *

Day 11:

It appeared there was no alternative.

L lifted his hands from his lap and moved them past an assortment of empty dishes, toward the Ring. He stuck out the index finger and thumb of his lower hand as it approached. He hesitated a centimeter from the Ring's golden outer circle.

Then, his index finger made contact with the metal.

For an instant, L sat upright, his chest puffed out and both legs firmly on the floor. His hair seemed to become wilder, a puffy mane sticking up at all angles. His eyes narrowed.

He yanked his finger away as though it had been burned, pulling his other hand after it. He immediately deflated. His hair fell, his back doubled over in a slouch, he drew both legs all the way up to his chest. His eyes opened wide to stare at the Ring. All the while, he chewed at the skin of his thumb. The repetitive motion seemed to reflect the rapid turning of the gears in his head.

After many cups of tea filled to the brim with sugar cubes, accompanied by the remainder of a bowl of cookies and now a full tray of pastries that had since been largely decimated, L spoke, "When I touched the Millennium Ring, I suspect another individual entered my mind."

His words faded into silence.

* * *

Day 12:

Finally, he picked up his hands and moved them towards the Ring once more. He refused to hesitate. In one fluid motion, he tapped it and withdrew his hand. There was barely time for his posture to shift, but for an instant, again, his back straightened and his expression sharpened. His legs remained close to his chest.

Once he had returned to himself, he reached out again and picked up a tartlet from the tray. He took small bites until it was gone. Then he filled and finished another cup of tea, staring at the Ring all the while.

He tapped the Ring again. The same change occurred and vanished.

"Are you alright?" Matsuda asked over the intercom.

A minute passed, and then another… A voice sounded over the intercom and then stopped before it could form into words.

L finished the remainder of his cup of tea, sip by sip.

Then, he answered, "I am fine."

"You're sure this is a good idea?" Matsuda blurted out the question. "We've seen what this thing can do…"

"My answer has not changed," L's voice was flat, but resolute.

"I know, I know, I've asked it already, but if you're right and there is something in there that took over Bakura-"

"You are aware of all the precautions in place," L poured tea into his cup again and began to fill it with cubes of sugar, "Your concern is not productive."

There was a pause before Matsuda's voice resumed, "What's happening to you when you touch it?"

L added another cube of sugar to the already syrupy tea. "It appears that someone else takes control of my body, though I can continue to control it if I plan my action in advance. I am also aware of their presence in my mind."

"That's creepy! It sounds like what I felt when I touched the Ring," Matsuda said.

"And what have you discovered?" L asked pointedly, between bites of a pink frosted eclair.

"Oh yeah, I'm supposed to be reporting…" Matsuda gave an embarrassed chuckle. "I talked to Ryou Bakura, but he wasn't able to fill in many gaps. He said his father found the Ring in Egypt. He wants it back, though I told him we confiscated it as evidence."

"You were not supposed to reveal your identity," L said, his mouth still full of the remainder of the eclair.

"I'm sorry," Matsuda answered, as much a retort as an apology. "They don't know I'm working for you, they just think I'm a local police officer. It makes my questions a lot less suspicious than they would be with some other excuse."

"What about Bakura's father?" L cut in.

"He's an archaeologist, he owns the Domino City Museum and is the curator of the Egypt exhibit. His wife and daughter - Ryou Bakura's mother and sister - died in a car crash a while back. He leaves his son home alone a lot. He's on an expedition in Egypt right now. He got the Ring there, at a bazaar, on one of his previous expeditions."

L chewed at the skin of his thumb, his eyes were still directed toward the Ring, but he didn't seem to focus on it.

"I would try to trace it further," Matsuda continued, "But I know you don't want to attract that much attention and I was thinking it might be better to try and follow other leads here in Japan, since a few of the other Millennium Items managed to find themselves here somehow."

"It is probabilistically unlikely," L agreed.

"So what do you want me to do next? While I'm not observing you, I mean," Matsuda said.

L chewed at his thumb in thought before answering, "Act as though it were a normal investigation. Follow up with everyone who was at the tournament, given the connection between the Millennium Items and Duel Monsters, they may have encountered another. Ask Light Yagami about his Millennium Puzzle next, but be careful not to reveal any more information."

"I will," Matsuda said, a tad reluctant.

L said nothing more and let silence fall. His focus returned to the Ring and his sugar tea, taking another pastry for good measure.

* * *

Day 13:

For some time, L sat unmoving, his eyes closed and legs crossed on the chair, as though in meditation.

Then, eventually, his eyes opened and he folded his legs up to his chest. He poured himself a fresh cup of tea and began to fill it with sugar. Once it had nearly turned to syrup, he took a sip. Then he reached out to touch the Ring again.

He let his finger linger on the golden outer ring as his back straightened and his chest puffed out. He opened his mouth as though to speak-

He yanked his finger and hands away from the Ring and snapped his mouth shut.

He slouched back over and took another sip of tea. He glared accusingly at the Ring. It only shimmered in response.

After a time and many sips of sugar tea, L said aloud, "Did you hear anyone speak?"

"Not until you did just now," Matsuda answered. "What's going on? What were you about to say?"

There was a pause.

"I heard a voice speaking," L said. "It greeted me."

"Watari, did you hear anything?" Matsuda asked, his voice distant.

"No, I did not," Watari answered, his voice even farther away.

"You're hearing things?" Matsuda said directly into the microphone, with a hint of worry in his voice.

"I believe the spirit of the Ring spoke to me," L said carefully.

"What did it say?"

"'Hello,'" L answered. "It attempted to say more, but I removed my hand."

"You can't hear it any more, can you?" Matsuda asked.

L shook his head. "I also believe it attempted to cause me to speak aloud for it."

"That's what it was doing to Bakura!" Matsuda exclaimed.

L fell into a pensive silence.

Several pastries and two more cups of sugary tea later, he reached out and touched the Ring again, sat up straight for a moment, and then, just as his mouth began to open once more, tore his hand away.

"Did you hear him speak again?" Matsuda asked.

"Yes," L answered.

"What did he say?"

"It attempted to greet me again, though I suspect the spirit's true objective was to speak aloud."

"What do you think he wanted to say?"

L sipped at his latest cup of tea in lieu of an answer.

Once it was empty he said, "The spirit of the Millennium Ring appears to be amused, but frustrated. It wants me to enable it to speak."

* * *

Day 14:

"I have concluded that in order to gain the information I require, I have no alternative but to allow the Millennium Ring to speak," L said.

He repositioned himself on the chair and examined the Ring for another moment. He took another sip of tea and returned the cup to its saucer. Then, he reached out his hands and touched the index finger of his lower hand to the edge of the Ring. A war seemed to wage within the detective's form, his eyes widened and narrowed, his legs drew closer and shifted away from his chest, his arms stiffened and relaxed, his lips twitched as a wide range of emotions tried to break free of his perpetual mask.

At last his body unfolded a little; his chest puffed out, his legs relaxed somewhat, his hair became a little wilder, but he did not change his position, he remained perched upon the chair. His mouth was twisted into a harsh smile.

He spoke in a voice that was only partially his own - it was deeper and rougher, but more fluid, less hesitating - "Finally! You know you've got to let me out of there to answer your questions. I can't do anything without a host."

L had barely finished speaking when his eyes widened and his posture condensed. He fought his mouth shut, cutting off each word that tried to slip through until his lips remained pressed into a thin frown. He remained frozen for a moment or two, his face taut with effort. His eyes were affixed to the Ring and he did not remove his finger from it, though at times his whole arm shook with effort.

Gradually, his expression relaxed until he finally trusted himself to speak. Sure enough his own voice emerged, perhaps a little stiffer than usual in contrast to the spirit of the Ring, "Another entity took control of my body. I have resumed control temporarily."

He paused for a moment, perhaps in thought or to maintain control.

Then, he spoke again, his voice flat, "What are you?"

It took only an instant for his posture to open up once more, the harsh smile returned and he answered, his voice deep with a hint of a cold laugh, "I am a thief and a stealer of souls, I seek the seven Millennium Items."

L's arm twitched as though he were attempting to recoil from the Millennium Ring, but he did not remove his hand from it. Instead, his posture shifted as he regained control of his own body. His eyes were wide, almost fearfully so, though, again it may have just been an artifact of the contrast between him and the spirit of the Ring.

"What are you searching for in my mind?" the detective asked, his stiff voice betrayed no hint of emotion.

He resigned his body to the Ring's control. It twisted his features into a menacing smile.

"I seek the seven Millennium Items," it said and refused to divulge more.

When it was clear he would say no more, his features shifted. A range of expressions warred across his face until, with a final show of force, L yanked his hand away from the Ring, tipping his chair back until it nearly fell to the ground, but it teetered back with a loud clank that echoed around the cell long after it stopped moving.

* * *

Day 15:

"What do you know of the Millennium Items?" L asked, his arms extended to touch the Ring.

His posture shifted and he let out a harsh laugh.

When it was clear the spirit of the Ring had nothing to say, L reclaimed control. "Why do you want them?"

He answered in a voice that was not his own, "Who wouldn't want their mystical power?"

L asked again, "What power is that?"

"Let me show you," the spirit of the Ring said, L's face twisted into a malicious smile.

The words had no sooner left his mouth, when L pulled his hands back, away from the Ring.

He took another sip of sugar tea, and then another before he said, "As I anticipated, the Ring will attempt to use me to escape. I do not yet know how it intends to do so."

* * *

Day 16:

"Who are you?" L asked.

"I told you," the spirit of the Ring answered in a distortion of L's voice, "I am a thief and a stealer of souls."

"Are you human?" L tried again, his expression and voice flat in contrast.

He let out a harsh laugh as the spirit of the Ring resumed control. "Maybe once."

"Do you remember?"

"How could I forget?" the spirit of the Ring said with a cruel smile.

"What happened?"

The spirit of the Ring only laughed until L took back control.

* * *

Day 20:

"I have received a report from Miss Miasora," Watari's voice sounded over the intercom.

L nodded, though he did not open his eyes. He remained seated on the chair, his legs crossed as though meditating.

Watari continued, "According to Miss Miasora, Mr. Yagami was taking his usual route home from school when he encountered Mr. Keith Howard...

...

… Light Yagami noticed the man first. He was almost impossible to miss, sitting beside the quiet suburban street in a dark purple robe with a tell-tale eye on the hood.

 _It was about time._

The ridiculous man waved his hands over a crystal ball and called out to Light in accented Japanese. He put on a voice that he may have intended to sound mysterious, but only succeeded at being laughable, "Future's told, fates unfold. Step up boy and I'll reveal the secrets of your future." he pointed a crooked finger at Light for good measure.

The charade was all for nothing; the man's voice gave him away. Light already knew that "Bandit" Keith Howard was a fool, and it seemed being defeated by Pegasus yet again had pushed him over the edge. He must have been mad to think Light would fall for his absurd trap.

Light wondered if Howard was just using the Rare Hunters' cloak for his own ends or if they were really so desperate as to turn to "Bandit Keith." Not that Light ever had high hopes for an organization that wasted its time stealing Duel Monsters cards. But if they wanted to underestimate him, who was Light to deny them. All the more he would enjoy bringing them to their knees. Their Millennium Item was as good as his.

He smiled benignly at Howard and strolled over as though his curiosity had been piqued.

"Can you really see into the future?" Light asked, his voice all innocence with just a touch of eagerness to make it seem like he had taken the obvious bait.

"Yes," Howard stage-whispered, his voice hoarse for overdone effect. He even gave a small chuckle that reminded Light of the spirit of the Millennium Ring's unending maniacal laughter. "In order to tell your future I must hold a personal item."

 _Did he think Light would be so foolish as to hand over his Millennium Item?_

"Of what sort?" Light feigned ignorance.

"Your necklace will do nicely…" he held out his hand expectantly.

"What? I'm not wearing a necklace."

"I sense it," Howard insisted, his voice wobbling with what he thought power sounded like as he waved his hands over his crystal ball, "A pyramid... once broken, now whole... an eye. I can see them..."

"Wow. How do you know I have a necklace like that?" Light exclaimed in mock surprise, "You must really be a psychic."

Howard chuckled again, as though he were the one in control of the situation. "Now, boy, I need your necklace in order properly read your aura, to see what fate has in store for you. You do want to know, don't you?" He held out his hand again.

Light pretended to hesitate and dropped his voice, "It's solid gold, you know, I don't want to take it out on such a busy street. Is there somewhere a little quieter that we could go?"

Howard smirked, clearly this was what he had wanted all along. "I understand, of course. Follow me."

With that, Howard stood and led Light down the alleyway behind where he had set up his table. He tried to maneuver Light into going first, but Light was too polite for him and eventually he surrendered into leading the way. Their path was marked with bright red arrows pointing down the alleyway. Howard did not intend to grab the puzzle and run, no Light suspected it was a duel he was after - a shadow game. That was fine by Light, he had no doubt he would win, punish the cheat, and gather some information about the Rare Hunters and their Millennium Item in the process.

Howard led him down a winding path to an abandoned building that had certainly been condemned. It was a miracle it hadn't fallen over already by the looks of it. Light had half a mind to fear for his safety upon entering it on the suspicion that it would collapse on him in the middle of the duel. On the other hand, it was perfect; secluded, a place no one would think to look. As for whoever was following him, they would only see the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle acting in self defense.

Howard beckoned Light inside and light flooded the dark hall. In the center of the decrepit room was a dueling arena like the ones Light had seen on Pegasus's Island. Howard had the same idea - this would be easy. Of course, Light had to play nice for his tail, but the puzzle didn't have to.

"Why the arena?" Light asked, all innocence.

"I thought we might have a friendly duel," Howard said, as though that was perfectly reasonable.

"That sounds like fun," Light said before Howard could ask for his puzzle again, "That way you'll be able to get a sense of who I am so you can read my fortune."

"Certainly…" Howard trailed off - Light had clearly interfered with his plans. "But first, if I could see that necklace of yours…"

Light hesitated a moment for effect, and then drew the puzzle out of his bag. But before he could hand it to Howard, he let the pharaoh take control of his body.

Light felt his posture shift and his arm jerk back to put the puzzle around his neck.

 _Remember "Bandit" Keith Howard, the liar and cheat? Now is our chance to give him his due._

Light felt the pharaoh hesitate, but it soon turned its sights on Howard.

"Who are you? What do you want?" the pharaoh demanded. Light felt his mouth move of its own accord, producing a voice that was harsh and a little deeper than his own.

Howard seemed taken aback, "I-I'm a fortune teller, you were just going to hand me your necklace so I could use it to tell your future. Is something wrong?"

"You want the Millennium Puzzle? For what?" the pharaoh barked.

"Just to tell your fortune. You do want to know what fate has in store for you, don't you?"

 _Duel him._

The pharaoh could sense the power of another Millennium Item, Light could feel it. Through the pharaoh's eyes, he could almost see the strings tying Howard to the distant Item, which controlled him like a marionette

"You conceal your Millennium Item," the pharaoh charged, "I will not hand you mine if you refuse to even let me see yours."

Howard held out his empty hands palm up, "What are you talking about? I'm just a fortune teller."

 _Duel him for it._

"Let us duel!" the pharaoh declared, "Then I will see your soul and determine if you are telling the truth."

He had left out an important detail.

 _Wager your Millennium Puzzle against his Millennium Item!_

Light tried to force out the words, but the pharaoh instead insisted upon his own foolish plan, "If I find that you are genuine, then you may see the Millennium Puzzle."

"Very well," Howard answered with a small smile that Light would gladly wipe off his face.

They mounted the dueling arena and the game began.

By the time the duel was won, Light had little doubt he would soon claim the Millennium Rod - there had never been any doubt.

...

Watari concluded, "After the duel ended, Miss Miasora reported that a glowing yellow eye, matching that depicted on the known Millennium Items, appeared on Mr. Howard's forehead. He began to speak in third person, referring to himself as the unwilling servant of a man by the name of 'Marik Ishtar' who was controlling him using a 'Millennium Rod' - possibly the leader of the Rare Hunters. He appears to have some vendetta against the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle, known as the Pharaoh.

"Mr. Yagami argued with him a little before making the same gesture Mr. Muto did after his duel with Pegasus; he pulled back his right hand to just over his shoulder and rapidly extended it forward with his palm out. Immediately after Mr. Yagami completed the gesture, Mr. Howard collapsed. Then Mr. Yagami removed the Millennium Puzzle from around his neck. After he put it away, he suddenly appeared disoriented, going so far as to call out to see if anyone was present. After some time evaluating his surroundings, he found Mr. Howard collapsed on the other side of the arena and called for an ambulance. In Mr. Yagami's report to the police, he claimed that the dueling arena must have malfunctioned."

While Watari had been speaking, L maneuvered into a crouch and began chewing at his thumb in contemplation, his eyes fixed upon the Millennium Ring. At last, he said, "Use all available resources to locate this 'Millennium Rod' that may have been controlling Howard."

L took another sip of sugar tea and reached out to touch the Millennium Ring. It took control for an instant and he seemed to expand, but he forced his expression flat and asked, "What do you know about the Millennium Rod?"

The spirit of the Ring regained control, and he said with a twisted grin, "You seem to know enough to know that it's too dangerous to be left in anyone else's hands."

"What are the limits of its powers?" L asked.

"Why take my word for it when you can try it for yourself?"

L removed his hand from the Ring and took a sip of sugar tea.

Then he touched the Ring again and tried another track, "What do you know of the Millennium Puzzle?"

He let out a harsh laugh. "The poor Pharaoh," he taunted.

"Pharaoh?" L asked.

The spirit of the Ring took control with another humorless laugh. "You really want to know? Yes, I can feel you knocking at my soul room."

He did not let L regain control to answer.

Instead, the spirit of the Ring sneered, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "Long ago, in ancient Egypt, there ruled a noble, _benevolent_ Pharaoh. But all was not well in the two kingdoms. They were plagued by threats from within and without. So, this _wise_ Pharaoh decided to eliminate both with the same cursed stone. He ordered his high priest to create the seven Millennium Items that fascinate you so. Their power calls to you, doesn't it? It calls you with the voices of the 99 souls of Kul Elna!" He let out a wild laugh.

L cut the laughter short as he regained control. "What do you mean?"

It continued with a wicked grin, "You didn't think you could make such powerful items without paying a price, did you? But the Pharaoh was _so wise_ , he turned the dreadful price into another victory. You see, Kul Elna was a village of thieves. They would not be missed, instead their loss was celebrated throughout Egypt.

"But the Pharaoh made one fatal mistake. One boy survived the massacre of Kul Elna. He watched it all from the shadows and then, when the terrible deed was done, he fled into the night. Fueled by vengeance, this boy became a powerful magician and set out to reclaim the seven Millennium Items from the _noble_ Pharaoh. By then, the old Pharaoh had died and his son took the throne, but it did not matter to the King of Thieves. The new Pharaoh still wielded the cursed Millennium Items and called them his own.

"He nearly succeeded. He claimed all but the Pharaoh's own Millennium Puzzle. However, within the Millennium Items was an even darker power than the 99 souls of Kul Elna. They housed a dark god that the Thief King released into the world to wreak his final vengeance. But the _noble_ Pharaoh sacrificed himself to seal away the dark god, taking himself and the Thief King with it."

With that, the spirit of the Ring let loose a torrent of uncontrollable laughter. L's arm shook, but his finger remained glued to the Ring. With a final show of force, L yanked his hand away, knocking his chair backwards onto the ground. He fell with it and curled up where he had landed.

* * *

Day 34:

L stared at the golden ring as though that alone could bore a hole into it. The Ring remained intact. His cup of tea went untouched so long it had turned cold, and the plate of cake beside it went likewise ignored.

The intercom buzzed to life. The quiet noise seemed loud enough to echo around the cell and startle L into motion. He shifted around in his chair so the leg that had been dangling was pulled up to his chest, and the foot that had rested on the chair now brushed the ground.

Watari's voice sounded over the speakers, "I have a report from Miss Miasora."

L nodded in assent, but his eyes never left the Ring.

Watari continued, "This afternoon, Mr. Yagami met up with Mr. Bakura...

...

… It was too easy. A smile here, an understanding nod there, and the occasional trite word of sympathy, and Ryo Bakura would do just about anything for him. Light Yagami had suggested they meet up after school, so they were talking at a cafe in Domino City without any of Bakura's foolish 'friends' to get in the way.

Bakura was saying, "Tristan said Taro Matsui took the Ring, but he won't tell me where he took it. Matsui just keeps saying that it's being kept as evidence. I should probably be grateful, I'm my own person for the first time in so long, but I can't help but worry about it. I hope Matsui knows what he's doing. I wouldn't want anyone else to end up under the Ring's control." The boy shuddered at the thought.

Light nodded and said, his voice soft, "I'm afraid the police probably don't know how dangerous the Millennium Items are. How could they?"

"Matsui saw what happened at the tournament," Bakura insisted, but even he didn't sound convinced, and he went on to say, "But who knows what he believes. Just trying to find out more about the Ring would be dangerous!"

"That's not all," Light said. "I don't want to worry you even more, but I don't know if Taro Matsui really is a police officer. I knew I recognized his name when I met him, and I finally remembered how - I saw this article in the news a few days before the tournament."

Light handed Bakura the newspaper open to an article about how Taro Matsui was suspected of killing two people.

"That's terrible!" Bakura exclaimed. "Do you really think he'd do something like that? It must be someone else, right?"

"I hope not, but I don't know what to think," Light said, planting the seed of doubt just so.

"What should we do?" Bakura asked, his voice tinged with desperation. "The Ring isn't safe with him no matter what. I don't want to, but we have to get it back!"

 _Perfect._ It really was too easy.

Bakura hesitated. "I think I might know where it is. Not exactly, but something keeps pulling me to the same part of the city. There are a bunch of office buildings and other things there, I don't know which it's in, but I think I can feel that it's somewhere in there. Maybe it wants me to find it. Maybe I just think it's not safe with Matsui because it wants me to."

"I've felt the puzzle changing my thoughts too. I don't know if it's real or I'm just imagining it, but it feels like it sometimes." Light put a reassuring hand on the boy's shoulder. "But you're not alone now. Neither of us is alone," he said with his kindest smile.

Bakura nodded, his expression set with determination. "I'm afraid of the Ring, but I just have to be brave. Who knows what it will do if I don't…" he trailed off. "Thank you, Light. I don't know how I would be able to do this on my own. Have you learned anything about the Millennium Puzzle?"

Light shook his head. "I haven't worn it much since the tournament. I might be a little afraid of it too. The last time I took it out, I woke up in a dueling arena across from Bandit Keith. He's still in a coma. "

Bakura gasped. "Bandit Keith wasn't very nice, but he doesn't deserve that! Why would the Puzzle do that? I should have known! Just because it saved us doesn't mean it isn't like the Ring. Who knows what it's after."

"I know it's frightening, Ryo, but I am certain we can figure it out and stop both of them." Light met Bakura's eyes and held them for just an instant too long.

Bakura glanced away and sat in silent thought for a moment. Then, he said, "I saw a report on the news about a new exhibit at the museum about ancient Egypt. The woman who was talking about it was wearing a necklace with that eye symbol on it. Yugi said he was going to go to the exhibit today with his friends and he invited me along. I wonder if she might know anything, though if her necklace is a Millennium Item, it could be controlling her..."

"That's a great idea, Ryo!" Light exclaimed.

The Millennium Necklace would be his.

...

It was a convenience. The more people who were present, the more difficult it would be for whoever was tailing Light Yagami to follow him and keep track of what he was doing. And they were more people Light could easily manipulate. However, even with all of that, it almost wasn't worth it having to put up with Yugi Muto and the imbeciles he called friends.

Joey Wheeler appeared particularly eager to remind Light of that fact. As Light and Bakura approached the museum, Wheeler called to them from the steps, "Hey Bakura and Yami! Or is it Akira? Or whatever you're calling yourself!"

"His name is Light, you dolt!" Tristan Taylor stepped in, hitting Wheeler on the head in what Light presumed passed for a friendly gesture between these fools.

Light put on his friendliest smile and greeted them all cordially, but not quite as warmly as he had greeted Bakura earlier that afternoon.

Muto led them all into the museum. Taylor and Wheeler ran ahead and Muto took up Bakura's other side. That was the other irritant; it seemed Muto was still set on interfering with Light's plans for Bakura. It wouldn't matter in the end, it wasn't like there was really anything Muto could do to stop him, but it was inconvenient. Still, Muto could be useful to him if manipulated properly.

Muto was talking as they walked through the museum, "After everything that happened, I just want to understand it all better."

Bakura gave an eager nod. "Us too - that's why we're here too. Maybe the curator might know something about the Millennium Items, but I don't know if she's here today and even if she is, do you think she'd listen to us?" He glanced up at Light.

Despite Muto's efforts, Bakura was well under his power.

"I think so," Light said. "If she's a curator of ancient Egyptian artifacts, she would be curious about the Millennium Items."

"I hope she isn't too curious!" Bakura said.

"There's no need to worry." Light put a comforting hand on Bakura's shoulder. "I agree, the Millennium Items wouldn't be safe with her. We won't let her get them."

"Do you feel that?" Muto interrupted.

Beneath his irritation, Light could feel the puzzle calling to him with a faint compulsion to put it on. _Could it feel the presence of another Millennium Item?_

"What is it?" Light asked.

"I don't know," Muto said. "Sometimes it's almost like I can feel the Millennium Puzzle. I don't know how, but right now I can feel that it's in your bag. It's like it's calling to me and like it knows there's something important over there." He pointed to a pair of double doors at the end of the exhibit hall. They were roped off and looked like they led to a storage or maintenance area.

"Are you sure?" Tea Gardner asked from Muto's other side.

Wheeler and Taylor took the opportunity to barge in with shouts of, "What's up Yug?" and, "Is everything alright?"

As irritating as they were, their timing was convenient. While they distracted the others, Light reached into his bag for the Millennium Puzzle. All of the pharaoh's inane thoughts and emotions flooded his mind, but he could feel what he was looking for at the forefront. Muto was right. There was something down there.

"What is your connection to Yugi Muto?" Light silently asked the pharaoh, "Why does he know you're here?"

"I do not know," the pharaoh thought back, "But I feel that there are answers here, beyond those doors. Maybe that question will also be answered."

When it was clear the puzzle would be of no more use to him, Light released it and closed his bag.

"Is everything alright?" Bakura asked.

Light nodded. He lowered his voice, "The puzzle wanted to take control, but I was able to overcome it for now. It confirmed what Yugi said - there's something down there."

"Do you think Yugi is alright? Do you think the puzzle has him too?" Bakura sounded like he was on the edge of panic, which would diminish his usefulness significantly.

"He's fine," Light said, his tone firm, but still comforting. "We know that the Items can only control one person at a time."

Bakura nodded, his fears assuaged for the time being, but still present for Light to make use of them when the time came. They followed Muto and his entourage through the door and down the poorly lit stairs.

"Are you sure we're supposed to be down here?" Gardner's voice echoed up the stairs.

"Yeah! It's kinda creepy!" Wheeler said even louder.

Light knew these fools had no sense of subtlety, but he still lamented its loss a little.

He played his part and called down after the others, "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

However, the question received no reply, not that it warranted one. Instead, their limited attention had been claimed by large stone tablet in a case at the foot of the stairs. The lights above it were on - someone was expecting them. Light only glanced at the tablet.

If he had not known better, he would have called it a hoax. The tablet depicted two figures facing each other, with monsters above them, all surrounded by ancient Egyptian text. One person was carrying the Millennium Puzzle. He had Yugi Muto's absurd hair, and above him was what resembled the Dark Magician card both he and the pharaoh had. The other was wearing an elaborate headdress and above him was a dragon. Arranged above all of them was a depiction of the Millennium Puzzle surrounded by three monsters, each of which was conveniently contained in a rectangle just shy of card-shaped.

Muto and his foolish friends were awed, of course, not that they knew at all what to make of it. Wheeler began to speculate that it was an ancient game of Duel Monsters.

He was interrupted by the arrival of something much more interesting. Light heard her approaching and turned around just in time to see the figure of a woman in the shadow of the stairwell behind them before she spoke, "My Pharaoh, I've been expecting you."

She emerged from the shadows as everyone else turned to see her. Sure enough, she was wearing a necklace bearing the same eye symbol as the other Millennium Items.

Wheeler screeched in surprise.

"Yeah! You almost scared us!" Taylor shouted. His belated attempt to conceal his obvious fear was pitiful.

The woman ignored them and said, "But there is something wrong. This is not what I foresaw." She stepped toward Muto. "I can see that you are the rightful bearer of the Millennium Puzzle, why do you not possess it?"

She was a fool. What would that child do with the power of the Millennium Puzzle? He would waste it. Light was the only one who could bring justice to the rotten world. If she could not foresee it, she was a fraud. Light would show her why he was the bearer of the Millennium Puzzle.

"How do you know all of this?" Wheeler asked.

She seemed startled by his continued presence - another score against her 'knowledge' - but answered all the same, "Like the Millennium Puzzle, my Millennium Necklace affords me certain powers. With it, I have gazed five thousand years into the past and seen visions of the future."

 _And it would be his._

"That is remarkable," Light said, giving her his most charming smile. He stepped forward so he was between her and Muto. "It's a pleasure to meet you. You're right, of course, the Millennium Puzzle is mine. Even if Yugi is it's rightful owner, and I'm just holding on to it until Yugi can claim it for himself, don't you feel a kind of destiny in that too?" He poured all the eager innocence he could muster into his gaze.

She stepped back and protested, "This is not what I foresaw. He is the rightful bearer of the Millennium Puzzle. He shares the Pharaoh's destiny, you do not. He is the one who will enable the Pharaoh to rescue mankind once again."

She was obstinate, but no armor was perfect.

"As Yugi's friend, I want to do anything I can to help, and I am certain the others feel the same," Light protested.

A cheer of agreement from the others emphasized Light's pronouncement.

Light continued, "Won't you help us help him? Is that not your destiny?" He held out his hand to her.

She ignored him in favor of Muto. "A Duel Monsters tournament is beginning. If you win it, you and the Pharaoh will find the answers you are seeking." She turned to leave. "When you return home you will discover an invitation waiting for you. Farewell."

"Wait!" Bakura called out after her.

But she did not turn back.

That Millennium Necklace belonged in Light's hands, and nothing could stop him from claiming it.

...

"Contact Matsuda," L said when Watari concluded his explanation. "Instruct him to join this tournament. The Millennium Items cannot remain at large any longer."


	2. Battle in the City

Pegasus's Millennium Eye had disappeared after the end of the Duelist Kingdom tournament. Light Yagami still had the Millennium Puzzle and didn't seem likely to want to part with it - it sounded like he had even managed to convince Ryo Bakura to try to get the Millennium Ring back despite how dangerous it was. During his duel with Light Yagami, "Bandit" Keith Howard mentioned that he was being controlled by someone using a Millennium Rod. And now a woman, Ishizu Ishtar, had appeared in Domino City wearing the Millennium Necklace, that apparently enabled her to see into the future. If the Millennium Ring was right, and there were seven Millennium Items, it seemed only two were left unaccounted for.

According to L, Seto Kaiba was hosting a tournament in Domino City, and Ishizu Ishtar would be at the end of it. So he sent Matsuda to participate in the tournament and bring back all of the Millennium Items he could find. But Matsuda doubted it would be that simple, especially given his ineptitude at Duel Monsters. And even if he could manage it, he wasn't sold on the idea of acquiring all the Millennium Items.

He agreed with the principle that the Millennium Items were too dangerous to be left scattered around the world. It was the context that had him worried. He had been watching L for weeks on and off. Matsuda had seen the Ring take him over, twisting his features into expressions that were almost unrecognizable, speaking in his voice, and even changing the way he held himself. The most dramatic changes only happened when L touched the Ring, but Matsuda saw smaller changes too. The way L's eating had slowed, his posture had gradually opened up, and then there was the way he talked about the Millennium Items.

L said he wanted to protect people from the Items, but how could he do that when he could hardly handle the Millennium Ring. He hadn't gotten much information out of it other than a story about a Pharaoh they had no way of verifying. It wouldn't say anything about what it or the other Items were capable of or why it wanted them. But still, L insisted he try to acquire as many of the others as he could.

Instead, Matsuda was wading through the crowds of spectators, and edging around duels in search of Ryo Bakura. L had only told him to ask Bakura about the the origins of the Millennium Ring. He supposed L thought questions about its abilities would be better answered by the Ring itself. But if anyone knew what the Ring could do, Ryo would be it, and Watari said he would be at the tournament. So, Matsuda followed the crowd in the hope that it would lead him to Yugi Muto, and that Ryo was with him or that Yugi and his friends at least knew where Ryo was.

Somehow Seto Kaiba had managed to claim all of downtown Domino City for his tournament. He had even come in on a blimp, if the news reports were to be believed, and put on a midday fireworks display to mark the its beginning. Now, the streets and public squares were filled with children - and some adults - dueling or running between duels, all wearing Kaiba's latest Duel Disk. All traffic was stopped. Matsuda spotted a few confused-looking businessmen peeking out of their office buildings to marvel at the chaos this children's card game had inspired.

He was wandering down a major thoroughfare towards a mass of people that he hoped had gathered around a duel, when two boys ran past. One of them shouted, "Come on! We'll miss the chance to see Mai Valentine - I doubt her opponent will last long!"

It sounded like he was headed in the right direction, so he followed after them at a jog. Running around was more tiring than it looked, and he was huffing and puffing by the time he reached the edge of the crowd. He took a moment to catch his breath before plunging in at an angle. He weaved between children shouting about the duel or who knew what else. He was taller than most of them, and so before he reached the inside of the circle, he could see that they were in fact crowded around Mai Valentine, facing off against one of the people in dark cloaks that Watari identified as "Rare Hunters."

From just a few moments of watching, it looked like Valentine wasn't having as easy a time as her fans had thought. It would probably be a while, so Matsuda extricated himself from the crowd and made himself comfortable on a nearby bench.

While he was waiting, he whispered into his wire, "How's it going?"

"There has been no change," Watari answered.

"He's still touching the Ring?" Matsuda asked - that couldn't be good.

"Yes. He hasn't said anything yet, but he appears to be retaining some control," Watari said.

"Any word from the guy tracking Ryo Bakura?"

"No," Watari said. "I am certain he is preoccupied by the tournament just as you are."

"Oh well." Matsuda sighed. He would just have to find Bakura himself. "Thanks, Watari."

"Not at all," Watari said, and turned off the microphone with a click.

The duel finally came to an end with Valentine's close victory. The Rare Hunter she was dueling ran away immediately upon his defeat, but the crowd took a while to disperse, as Valentine shook hands and autographed Duel Monsters paraphernalia. It was taking long enough that Matsuda stretched his legs and just got in line.

When his turn came, Valentine greeted him with, "What are you doing here? Aren't you a cop?"

"I'm looking for Ryo Bakura," he explained. "I have a few questions for him. I don't suppose you know where he is, or where Yugi Muto and his friends might be?"

"That weird white-haired kid?" she asked. "Not a clue. But, despite his height, Yugi is impossible to miss. I saw him dueling another one of these Rare Hunter creeps and thought I might as well get a piece of the action. Shame I already have one of these." She pocketed the card she won from the Rare Hunter all the same. "Last I saw him, he was dueling in the square, but he's probably won by now." She pointed him in the right direction with a doubtful word of, "Good luck."

He thanked her and went on his way. With a sense of purpose and a bit of urgency from the sinking feeling in his chest, he set off at a run. It was a good thing he did, even though he was quickly out of breath. The crowd had already dispersed and he just barely arrived at the square in time to see Yugi Muto setting off down one of the side streets, and Joey Wheeler heading down another.

Matsuda only paused for an instant to catch his breath before running after Yugi. He shouted, "Yugi! Wait!"

It took another couple of tries before he was close enough for Yugi to finally hear him. At least the boy wasn't moving very quickly and when he spotted Matsuda, Yugi ran to meet him halfway.

"What's wrong?" Yugi asked as Matsuda doubled over to catch his breath.

"It's a long story," Matsuda explained between gasps for air, "But I need to find Ryo Bakura. Do you know where he is?"

Yugi shook his head. "Maybe he's with Light?"

"I don't suppose you know where Light is either?" Matsuda asked.

Yugi shook his head again. "When I was looking for Joey I went to the roof of that building," he pointed up at it, "That made it a lot easier."

"That's a great idea!" Matsuda exclaimed, "Thank you, and good luck!"

With that, Matsuda set off at a run once more. He knew just which office building would give him the perfect vantage point. A rush of cold air hit him as he stepped inside. Only when he was inside the clean, polished lobby did he realize just how sweaty he was. He self-consciously straightened his t-shirt and tried to smooth back his hair, but it probably just made him look worse. He tried to act casual, and hoped no one would realize just how out of place he looked as he boarded the elevator and took off for the top floor. At least he was the only one on board.

He got off at his destination and hurried through the hallways in search of a stairwell that boasted "roof access." He could have sworn he was going in circles when he ran into a woman in a suit. She looked prim and professional, and like all the things Matsuda was not in that moment. He started to stammer out some sort of apology or half an explanation.

She interrupted, "Are you lost?"

He nodded. "I- I'm doing maintenance," he finally blurted out. "I'm new on the job and can't find the way to the roof. Do you know where it is?"

She led him to a stairwell he had certainly passed at least once already. He thanked her profusely, but she clearly had places to go and people to meet, and quickly removed herself from the situation. Matsuda didn't blame her. He was surprised she believed him and didn't just throw him out on the street. He probably looked like a homeless person and he didn't even know what he had been thinking while he was talking to her.

He was mentally hitting himself as he climbed the stairs up, onto the roof. It was a lot windier up there than he expected, but he had all the range of vision he could possibly want. So, he carefully edged around the building, clutching the sides so he wouldn't succumb to the dizzying drop. All he needed was a speck of white. A boy with long white hair should have been impossible to miss. He made a few laps around the rooftop before he finally saw what he was looking for.

He bolted back down the stairs, not even taking the time to wait for the elevator. He had to get there before Ryo moved and before Matsuda forgot where he was. He ran around the block and down a side street until finally he saw the white-haired boy - thankfully the right one too. He was alone.

"Bakura! Ryo!" Matsuda shouted.

Ryo froze.

The boy glanced around wildly and looked like he was ready to flee. Finally he spotted Matsuda and relaxed a little, though he still looked a bit on edge.

"Ryo! There you are!" Matsuda exclaimed as he hurried towards the boy. "I've been looking all over for you!"

Ryo waited for Matsuda to catch his breath before he asked, "Is something wrong?"

Matsuda nodded. Before Ryo could panic, Matsuda explained, "I have some more questions about the Millennium Ring."

"When can I have it back?" Ryo asked.

"It's too dangerous," Matsuda said.

To Matsuda's surprise, Ryo dug in his heels, "It's too dangerous to be left with someone who doesn't know anything about it! How can you say it's safer with you when you keep coming to me for advice?"

Matsuda found himself at a loss for words. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, uncertain what to say until finally he said, "It's not safe with anyone! But at least where it is it's not going to pull anything. It's not going anywhere. We've got it locked up and it's not getting out." Matsuda just hoped they wouldn't have to keep L locked up with it forever.

"What's wrong then?" Ryo asked, still suspicious.

"It's," Matsuda began before he had figured out exactly what he was going to say. He tried again, "It's a long story, sorry. I just have a few questions about its powers, is that okay?"

Ryo hesitated, but eventually nodded.

"Great!" Matsuda exclaimed, relieved. "What exactly can it do? What sort of control does it have over its host and what are its other powers?"

"It's not safe! You lied! You gave it to someone, and now…" Ryo's expression turned to one of utter horror as he trailed off.

"It's not going to do anything," Matsuda insisted. "My boss," he stopped himself short, but he had already revealed that much. The most important thing was gaining Ryo's trust, so he continued, "My boss locked himself away with it. We're under orders not to let him out with the Ring and then only once we're certain he's okay. There's no way the Ring's getting out of there. My boss may be a bit odd, but he knows what he's doing. I'm just worried about him."

"You should be!" Ryo said. "You don't know what it's like being controlled by that thing. Even now, sometimes I can still feel it calling to me..." He shuddered at the thought.

"Do you know what it wants?" Matsuda asked.

Ryo shook his head. "It doesn't like the Millennium Puzzle, the 'Pharaoh.' I think it wants to do something to him, it wants revenge. Sometimes I have nightmares…" he trailed off.

"What are its powers?" Matsuda tried to change the topic before he lost the boy entirely, "What is it capable of?"

Ryo took a shaky breath in and out to steady himself. Then, he said, "It can take peoples' souls, move them around, call shadow games, I don't know what else. It can control its host."

"You said you can still feel it even when you're not touching it?" Matsuda asked as gently as he could.

Ryo nodded. "I don't think it was always like that, but now I can feel it sometimes. It may be making me want it back. Sometimes I can feel its frustration. I don't think it likes its host, your boss. I don't think it can really control me now though. I haven't felt it."

"How does it control you?" Matsuda asked. He hesitated to broach such a sensitive topic. "What's it like?"

Ryo hesitated, but the boy was braver than Matsuda had given him credit for. "Sometimes it just takes over completely. At first I blacked out when that happened, but now - when I had it, that is - I could feel it. It's like I was just watching him using my body. I even looked more like him, if that's possible. But that wasn't the worst of it. Even when I'm 'in control' so long as I'm wearing the Ring, and now even when I'm not, I can still feel it in my mind, telling me what to say and do! I almost used to make a game of it, trying to say things it wouldn't let me. I never won. I hope your boss is stronger than me."

They both fell silent as Ryo calmed himself and Matsuda felt the words sink in.

"There has to be something…" Matsuda said, more to himself than the boy.

"Maybe Ishizu knows something," Ryo said. "She seemed to know a lot about the Millennium Items, she even said she could see the future. Maybe she can help."

"I hope so," Matsuda said.

* * *

 _I hope Joey will be okay._

Even though Yugi Muto knew how important it was for Joey to prove himself as a duelist, he couldn't help but regret the deal they had made. The Red-Eyes Black Dragon card didn't belong in his hands, it belonged with Joey - Joey needed his strongest card. But maybe Joey was right, maybe Yugi did need it more. Maybe Yugi needed part of Joey with him especially with everything going on.

First there was that woman at the museum, Ishizu Ishtar, who had warned of terrible things to come. She said that Yugi had to be the one to save the world. And then there were the Rare Hunters, who may have been even more sinister than just stealing Duel Monsters cards, which was pretty bad already. It all seemed to come back to that Millennium Puzzle, but Light was right, the Puzzle belonged to him, not Yugi. But then why did Yugi feel such a connection to the frighteningly powerful Pharaoh? Yugi could not forget how the Pharaoh had saved him from Pegasus, nor the Pharaoh's fearsome anger even after they had won.

A peal of eerie, high pitched laughter cut through Yugi's thoughts.

He spun to face the source and saw what looked like a jester or clown approaching him from a stand of trees. They almost looked like a life-sized puppet. It should have just been a normal person in a creepy costume, but its movements were unnatural, like a marionnette. Yugi's every instinct told him to run and he began to back away.

"Hello, Yugi," the jester said, in a high, nasally voice. "We've been looking for you." He gave a slight bow, an arm across his chest, as if to say that he was at Yugi's service.

Yugi forced himself to hold his ground - he didn't even know if his legs would have been able to support him if he tried to run. He wouldn't find any of the answers he was looking for if he was too afraid to search for them. "Who are you?" he asked, though he could not keep the trepidation out of his voice.

"You'll find out if you walk that way," the jester pointed out of the park in an exaggerated gesture, "53 steps forward and into that tent. My master is waiting for you inside."

Sure enough, there was a circus tent there, though Yugi hadn't noticed it before. Under any other circumstances it would have been cheery, stripped in yellow and green. It wasn't at all the sort of place he would expect to find something creepy, but who knew what was inside.

"It's in your best interest to go," the jester said with another, deeper bow. And then he flipped away with another high laugh.

 _This is a terrible idea. An absolutely terrible idea. How do I even know that this has anything to do with the Millennium Items?_

But still, he forced himself to step towards the tent, one leg after the other. It didn't even feel real. His legs were oddly light, as though he was floating instead of walking. Maybe it was just a dream and he would wake up safe in bed. He could feel his heart racing. His chest felt strangely light too.

He did not even realize he had moved his arm until the curtain opened before him. He stepped into the darkness.

 _This is it. I'm going to die._

As he feared, the inside of the tent was not nearly as cheery as the outside. He was alone. A lone, dim light illuminated a small stage, above which a banner read, "Magic Show." In the center of the stage, in front of a deep red curtain, was a stack of three boxes, each bearing a question mark. He would have recognized it anywhere - it looked like the card Mystic Box come to life.

Before he got up the courage to call out, the front of the boxes swung open and he heard that same high pitched laugh as out stepped the jester.

Yugi jumped. His heart nearly leaped out of his chest.

The jester beckoned to him. "Enter here, Yugi. The master's waiting." And then he faded into the darkness from whence he came.

This was it. He could turn back like a sane person and pretend this never happened, or better yet, maybe call the police. Or, he could follow the creepy clown into the creepy box in the creepy tent and probably get himself killed. He took in a deep breath and found himself walking toward the box.

 _I should run. I have to run. I have to get out of here. This is dangerous! I shouldn't be here! I'm going to die!_

The door of the box closed behind him with a click, leaving him in complete darkness.

There was a faint, distant smell of smoke and then he felt the box drop with a thud that rattled his entire body. He had hardly reoriented himself when the door opened with a click and swung open. He found himself in a dark room, empty aside from a single computer pointed directly at him. The computer was on, but the screen displayed only static.

Yugi stepped out of the box and to his surprise, someone else stepped forward beside him from another identical Mystic Box.

"Light!" Yugi exclaimed. Maybe he wasn't going to die after all. It raised so many questions, but all he could feel was relief. And Light had a Millennium Item. Light, at least, would be able to protect them from whoever it was that had summoned them there.

"Do you know what's going on?" Yugi asked.

Light shook his head. He seemed a little disoriented, but he looked like he was taking it a lot better than Yugi.

"What are you doing here? It's not safe," Light said, as he glanced around the room as though he was looking for something.

"There was a jester…" Yugi began to explain, but it sounded so stupid to actually say it out loud that he couldn't bring himself to go any further.

Thankfully, Light nodded. "I'm sorry, I don't see any way out."

"It's okay," Yugi said, "Maybe I can even help…" though he knew how unlikely that sounded.

Before either of them could say anything else, a smooth female voice came out of the computer speakers, "Hacking into Battle City database."

The computer beeped and an image of Yugi popped up, with his Dark Magician beside him. Under the image was a row of five golden stars like the star chips they used at Duelist Kingdom.

The static faded in and out as the voice continued, "Duelist profile for Yugi Muto. Dueling level; 5 stars. Rarest card; Dark Magician."

 _What do they want with me?_

When the voice finished speaking, the image of Yugi was replaced by a picture of Light with four stars below it, and a fifth outlined, but not filled in. The voice continued, "Duelist profile for Light Yagami. Dueling level; 4 stars. Rarest card; Dark Magician."

As soon as the voice had stopped once more, the Dark Magician on the screen transformed from the purple Dark Magician that was so familiar to both of them into a twisted red one with a decidedly unfriendly grin. For a moment Yugi thought it was moving as though it was alive. But he hardly had a chance to look at it before it was consumed by orange and brown static. In a flash, the almost flame like static consumed the entire screen, but it didn't stop there. Somehow it spread out the top of the computer until it towered over their heads. And all of a sudden what could have only been a life sized hologram of that red Dark Magician loomed over Yugi and Light.

Yugi stumbled backwards in shock, but Light did not move. Even though he was not wearing the Millennium Puzzle, Light still had all the Pharaoh's bravery and confidence.

The Dark Magician laughed at them. There was an electronic distortion underlying its voice as it sneered, "I've been waiting for you. Neither of you are worthy of having me in your deck, so prepare to lose me forever! You're not the only duelists with my power in their decks, Light and Yugi, and you're certainly not the best." He pointed his staff at the two of them and Yugi prepared for a Dark Magic attack. "It's time that you met the true master of the Dark Magician!"

An eerie cackle echoed around the room and a man emerged from the shadows. He looked like another circus performer, in a red suit with a bright blue and black striped bow tie and top hat. Covering his face was a matching horned mask and around his arm he wore a duel disk. Unlike the jester, he moved like a person, but he wasn't any less unnerving. Still, Yugi tried to stand strong like Light.

The man held up a Dark Magician card. "Welcome, Light Yagami and Yugi Muto. I am the illusionist known as Arkana, and soon your favorite cards will be dueling for me. Only a true master of illusion deserves to hold the Dark Magician. You will never understand its full potential," he said with a cruel smile.

 _How could he?_ Yugi was proud of his Dark Magician. They had fought side by side ever since Yugi began playing Duel Monsters. It wasn't just his favorite card from the deck his grandfather gave him, they had some inexplicable connection that this so called "master of magicians" couldn't possibly understand.

"What are you really after?" Light asked, somehow able to think clearly despite everything going on around them.

"Your Dark Magicians, of course!" Arkana exclaimed. "I challenge you both to a duel! The winner will take the losers' Dark Magicians!"

"I accept your duel, but two against one is hardly fair," Light said, sounding more concerned for Arkana's chances in the duel than his own safety. "Why not just make it one-on-one?"

"Pardon me," Arkana said, "I've forgotten my manners. Please, allow me to introduce my lovely assistant, Catherine."

As he gestured to his side, a feminine figure emerged from the shadows. At first glance, his assistant was a woman with long blond hair in a light pink business suit, but her eyes did not open and her movements were unnatural, like another marionette. As she came into the light, Yugi could see seams at her neck and knees. She took a stiff bow.

Yugi glanced up at Light, but his eyes were fixed on Arkana. Yugi just hoped he knew what he was doing.

Light grimaced, but said, "If you're certain. I'm sorry, Yugi."

It felt like a bad idea, but if anything Yugi knew how to duel. This Arkana couldn't be any worse than Pegasus, and as frightening as it all was, he had something to prove.

Yugi found his voice at last, "It's okay, my Dark Magician has never let me down! We're bound by the Heart of the Cards, just like Light and his Dark Magician! There's no way we'll lose to you!"

Arkana scoffed. He was just like Kaiba.

Yugi turned to Light, "We'll show him, right?"

Light nodded, though he did not take his eyes away from Arkana. "You will regret challenging us."

"You never back down from a challenge, do you? Very impressive," Arkana taunted. "This room's a little cramped, don't you think, Catherine darling?" he asked the manakin. "Fortunately I know of a special duel ring close by. Follow me." He gestured towards a stairwell that fell away into darkness, that Yugi had not noticed before.

Arkana, arm in arm with the marionette, led them down the stairs and Light followed without hesitation. Yugi wasn't so certain, but he jogged after them.

"Hurry, it's almost curtain time!" Arkana urged them after him, down to the lower level. "I have special orders from my superiors to make this a real spectacle!"

 _Superiors?_ That could not be a good sign.

"What do your superiours want with us?" Light asked sharply.

"Relax and enjoy the show," Arkana said, pushing Light's question aside, "Forget who's backstage, just worry about us!"

Yugi caught up to Light and whispered, "Do you think he's working for Marik - the person with the Millennium Rod?"

Light nodded. "Don't worry. He may be able to give us some information that will help us stop Marik."

 _So that's why Light accepted the duel._ Light was right, of course, this was a good opportunity to gather information about Marik. He just had to be brave and face Arkana, as creepy as he was. And Yugi wasn't alone. Together, they were sure to win.

"Tada!" Arkana exclaimed as they reached the bottom of the stairs.

In front of them was a metal door with a question mark in its center, set in a wall reinforced with strips of metal. It conveyed a clear message; the only way out was victory.

Arkana explained, "Beyond that door lies my dueling ring!"

He opened the door - it unlatched with a solid clang - and led them through. The inside of the room looked like solid gold. The walls were gold, the floor was gold, even the ceiling was gold striped with swaths of pink cloth. In the middle of the room was a circular depression with four equally spaced square half steps coming off of it, each of which was just large enough for a single person to stand on.

"I had it specially made for this match," Arkana explained with an evil laugh.

He led them out to a raised platform in the center of the ring bearing the eye that was on all of the Millennium Items. He and his marionette assistant stood next to two adjacent sides of the platform and Light and Yugi took the remaining two.

Arkana announced, "It's almost time to raise the curtain and start the show! I hope you both enjoy a good matinee. This is the perfect setting for a private performance with so much on the line. We'll be playing according to Battle City tournament rules, but thanks to our location, not even Kaiba knows we're here."

They all shuffled their decks and passed them across the table so their opponents could cut them. Then, the ground began to move beneath their feet. Yugi and Light both nearly lost their balance, though Light recovered almost immediately. They were all pulled back to the edge of the circle as the platform between them sunk into the ground.

"The show is about to begin!" Arkana exclaimed.

Yugi felt his legs bump against the wall of the arena, but before he could step forward, a pair of manacles clamped themselves around his ankles. Around him, he could see that all the others were locked to the side of the arena too.

"What are you doing?" Yugi shouted.

"Relax," Arkana said, "We're all locked in, which means none of us can escape! See, there's an extra twist! We're not just playing for what's inside your decks, we're playing for what's inside your minds!"

Yugi's eyes widened in fear as four whirling blades popped out of the arena wall. Each of them was at the beginning of a track that ended at the feet of one of the four duelists. The tracks were marked with numbers in increments of one thousand, from zero next to each duelist, to four thousand next to each saw. They were each player's life points.

Arkana let out a wild laugh. "It's a dark energy disk, and I wouldn't get too close. One touch and your mind's banished to the shadow realm!"

 _He's gone mad._ Those weren't "dark energy disks." Yugi could see the saws as clear as day. This was some sort of death trap out of the sorts of movies he was too frightened to even watch at home with all the lights on. He bent over to try to break himself out of the restraints, but the solid metal refused to budge. They might not kill him, but the thought of what would actually happen if any of them lost was too horrifying to even imagine.

"This is crazy, Arkana!" Yugi shouted. "Don't do this!"

"Don't worry," Light said. "We won't lose."

"But," Yugi stammered.

 _This can't be happening._

Arkana had already moved on to the next "feature" of his twisted arena, "You'll see each of us has a key box" - the aforementioned boxes rose from the floor between each duelist's feet - "And inside is a key to unlock the shackles around your legs. Your box displays your opponents' combined life points, and will only open if you win the duel! Only then can you save yourself! Think of it as a hope chest really, because that key is your only hope," he said with another burst of mad laughter.

"There has to be some other way!" Yugi protested, "I don't want any of us to-"

"There is no other way!" Arkana cut him off.

"We will defeat you!" Light exclaimed, but it wasn't Light any more, not really. His voice was lower and he even seemed bigger, with broader shoulders, stronger and more confident. While Yugi had been frantically searching for an escape, Light had put on the Millennium Puzzle.

Yugi remembered the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle, Yami. How he had been willing to do anything to protect Yugi and his friends. How he had saved them from Panik and Pegasus, but he had left Panik in a coma and was ready to do the same, if not worse, to Pegasus. But he hadn't, and Yugi hoped that was what mattered.

"Yami, we can't go through with this!" Yugi said.

"Why not?" Yami asked, more puzzled than anything else.

"Getting cold feet?" Arkana taunted. "It's too late for that! Your only way out is victory, and I'm afraid that will be a tall order, even for you."

"You will not defeat us!" Yami declared, "There is not a chance we will fall to the likes of you!"

"Even if we win, what about Arkana? We can't just let-" Yugi hesitated to say it, afraid that would make it more real. "We can't just let him chop his legs off! You can see the saws, right?"

Yami frowned. "It is a rather gruesome choice, but it is his own trap." He shot Arkana an uncertain glance, before turning back to Yugi. "Why do you wish to save him? Is he not also your enemy?"

"The stakes are much higher than that!" Arkana said with an evil cackle before Yugi could respond. "They may appear to be saws, but they are in fact dark energy disks! If they even touch you, they will send your soul to the shadow realm for all eternity!"

Yugi protested, "You heard him! He thinks they're 'dark energy disks!' He doesn't even know what he's doing and even if he did, it's- it's just not right!"

Yami seemed puzzled again. He was silent for a moment as though deep in thought.

"Are you ready to duel or not? Not that you have a choice!" Arkana drew his first hand.

Yami followed suit. "You are very noble, Yugi, to desire to save him from his own machinations. He does not deserve your mercy."

"I assure you, I will give you none!" Arkana said.

"You see?" Yami said. "Does he not deserve punishment for what he has done? It would certainly be a fitting retribution for his crime."

"It's cruel! He can just go to jail!" Yugi exclaimed. Why would Yami not see reason?

"You should not count your victories before you have even begun to play!" Arkana said, "And if you will not play, I will be forced to take it as a surrender. You cannot stall forever, Yugi!"

Yugi followed Arkana's gaze to the saw that threatened at his life points. If he didn't play it would all be over then. He drew his first hand with a shudder.

The marionette was the last to draw and Arkana took the first turn. He summoned a monster and passed the turn over to Yami.

"Since I don't trust your hand, I'll play this magic card," Yami said, and played Card Destruction, sacrificing all of their hands.

He could have checked with Yugi first, but luckily he didn't have a very good hand, and it seemed Yami was right.

Arkana was distraught. "Not that! My precious hand!"

Yami chuckled as his suspicions were confirmed. "You've been deceiving us from the start. I thought you fixed your first hand, and I'm sure your precious 'Catherine's' is the same. So rather than take my chances at falling victim to another one of your tricks, I destroyed all of our hands so we can discard our old cards and start over with a clean slate."

"You'll pay for that when I claim your Dark Magicians and send you both to the shadow realm!" Arkana declared.

But Yami wasn't done yet. He then flipped over a trap card that enabled him to control Arkana's monster, and sacrificed it and a monster of his own to summon his Dark Magician.

"Dark Magician, show him some real magic!" Yami ordered, and the Dark Magician fired a bolt of dark energy at Arkana.

The saw slid along the track towards Arkana until it was just past the 2000 mark - more than halfway there.

 _It's now or never!_

"I'm still waiting for this grand magic show you promised!" Yami challenged him.

"Arkana," Yugi cut in, "You don't have to do this! You can just let us all go! Please! You already have less than half your life points, but no one has to go to the shadow realm or anything!"

Arkana merely laughed. "You think I'll be the one sent to the shadow realm? Never!"

"Those are saws!" Yugi shouted in the vain hope that something would get through to him. "They're not dark energy disks! They won't send you to the shadow realm, they'll cut off your feet! You have to listen to me! We can all get out of this okay if you just release us!"

"You are seeing only what your eyes want you to see! I understand, spending eternity in the shadow realm is a terrifying prospect. Thankfully, I won't be the one to face it!"

The marionette took her turn in stuttered movements as they argued.

"Please! I don't want to hurt you!" Yugi was nearly begging. He could feel his eyes beginning to well up with tears.

Arkana laughed. "You don't have a choice, unless you want to surrender! It's kill, or be killed! Or should I say, send to the shadow realm, or be sent yourself!"

"Yugi," Yami said, his voice firm, but not entirely unsympathetic, "We have to win. We both have things we must do and we cannot let it end here. We cannot let him win. Will you work with me?"

Yugi wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and gave a shaky nod. Yami was right. He refused to let Arkana destroy himself, but he couldn't lay down and let it happen to him. That wasn't the solution. Maybe if he moved fast enough after the box opened, he could use the key to save Arkana too. And to do that, he had to win.

He took his turn.

"How touching," Arkana taunted, "But teamwork and good feelings won't be enough to save you from the shadow realm! Light is right, you should stop worrying about me and take care of yourself, Yugi! It's my show, remember? I can't lose!"

Arkana took his turn, playing one monster in defense mode and another card face down.

Then it was Yami's turn. He summoned a monster and was ready to attack when Arkana interrupted.

"Not so fast, Light!" Arkana flipped over his face down card to reveal a trap - Dark Renewal. A coffin materialized on the arena and it opened to reveal Arkana's red Dark Magician returned from the graveyard, where it had been sent when he was forced to discard his starting hand.

The Dark Magicians faced each other from across the arena, perfectly matched. But Yugi could turn the tide. When his turn came around, he sacrificed two monsters to summon his own Dark Magician. He wasn't the only one. When his turn was over, the marionette followed with a Dark Magician Girl of its own. It seemed all of their cards were on the table.

Arkana fixed his attention on Yami's Dark Magician. He tried to destroy it with magic cards and traps, but Yami was always just one step ahead with traps and magic cards of his own. At last, he attacked, destroying both cards, which they immediately both resurrected.

Now, it was Yugi's turn.

 _I'm sorry, Dark Magician._

He attacked. Both cards went straight to the graveyard, but Arkana couldn't resurrect his fallen monster this time.

They each bided their time through the next round, putting down face downs and first lines of defense until the marionette took its turn. Without a word it sent its Dark Magician Girl after Yami's Dark Magician, sure to destroy it. Even though the monster in the line of fire was not his own, Yugi braced himself for impact.

"Not so fast!" Yami flipped over his face down - a trap card!

It wasn't just any trap card. It was a Spellbinding Circle, just like the one that was buried somewhere in Yugi's own deck. The play was so familiar, he could almost feel his own arms moving to play the cards in Yami's place. It was as though it was his own Dark Magician that attacked the weakened Dark Magician Girl when Yami's turn came.

They both cheered when the attack went through. For an instant, their eyes met and it was as though Yugi could see past Light Yagami's eyes, into the Pharaoh's soul, which strangely mirrored his more than its own host. When Ishizu Ishtar had said Yugi was the rightful holder of the Millennium Puzzle, it was difficult to believe her, but in that moment it made all too much sense.

"My Catherine!" Arkana cried out. "How could you so heartlessly destroy her poor Dark Magician Girl? I'll just have to make you regret it by taking your Dark Magicians and casting your souls into the shadow realm!"

Yugi returned to reality with a start. He was dueling a madman, and a marionette he claimed was his assistant, who was threatening to send them to the shadow realm with "dark energy disks" that were really buzzsaws aimed at their ankles.

"She's not real!" Yugi exclaimed. "Can't you see that you're just dueling with a puppet?"

"Such cruel words!" Arkana exclaimed. "How dare you insult my lovely Catherine?"

Yugi hoped it was all just an act, but somehow it didn't seem like it.

Arkana turned to the marionette. "Don't listen to him, my dear! You are as lovely as the day we met! Yugi is just jealous that Marik brought you back to me, while all Marik has in store for him is your demise!"

"Marik?" Yami demanded. "What do you know of Marik?"

Arkana laughed. "I guess the cat's out of the bag now, not that it'll matter what you know when I send your souls to the shadow realm! Marik is my master who commissioned this duel and in exchange for your demise he brought my lovely Catherine back into my arms!" He held out his arms to the marionette.

"He has only brought you lies and illusions," Yami said with a frown of distaste rather than pity.

"He lied to you!" Yugi tried to get through to Arkana, but he knew it was a lost cause. "You're doing this for nothing!"

Arkana only gave Yugi a pitying look. "Poor child who knows nothing of love, and I'm afraid you never will!" He summoned another Dark Magician, poised to attack.

Yugi felt the card at the top of his deck calling out to him. _It's time_ , he could almost hear the card saying. Before he drew, he knew it would be the Dark Magician Girl.

"Time for the grand finale! It's curtains for you, Yugi!" Arkana declared when his next turn came around.

He played Ectoplasmer, turning all his monsters into energy for an attack on Yugi's life points. Even his Dark Magician Girl could not defend him. Yugi could almost see the saw inching towards him, as his life points dropped to zero. He braced himself for the blow, though he could not begin to comprehend the pain that would follow.

But the blast of energy from the attack never came. He peeked open one eye to see a wall of glowing white energy shielding him. It was a Dark Magician! Not his own Dark Magician, but Yami's that had rushed to his defense.

Yami was watching him, as confident as ever. "Yugi, are you unharmed?"

He nodded as the attacking and defending monsters vanished in a burst of light. Yugi wasn't alone.

When the dust settled, it was Yugi's turn again, and he knew what he had to do. His Dark Magician Girl attacked.

The duel was over, but he wasn't in the clear yet. A saw inched closer to Arkana's ankles, now it was past the 1000 life point mark. Yugi unlocked himself as quickly as he could, when he saw Yami reaching back, his palm out.

"No!" Yugi shouted. He ran across the arena to Arkana, unlocked his shackles and threw him to to the ground, out of the way of the saw and the magical attack alike.

When Yugi looked up, Yami had frozen in place, his palm back over his shoulder, poised to crush Arkana's mind.

Before Yugi could speak, Arkana pushed him away and ran to the marionette with a cry of, "Catherine!"

The saw tore its legs shreds and stopped between its ruined feet and the rest of its body. It slumped over and then fell to the ground as though its strings had been cut, into Arkana's waiting arms.

"No, my dear Catherine, no, it can't be," he stammered between sobs.

Suddenly, he fell silent.

Yugi stepped over to comfort him, but before he could reach Arkana, the magician spun around in too fluid a motion. His body hung limply, like another marionette. On his forehead was a glowing golden eye.

"Arkana is gone," the magician's voice echoed with one that was not his own. "So we meet again, Light and little Yugi. I'm sure I need no introduction."

It was Marik controlling the magician as he had done to the the Rare Hunter that stole Joey's Red Eyes Black Dragon, after Yugi had defeated him.

"I will take your Egyptian God Card, Yugi, and the Millennium Puzzle to claim the power that is rightfully mine! And then no one will be able to stop me!" Marik proclaimed. "My family has slaved for centuries, protecting the tomb of the Pharaoh until his return, and for what? I should be the Pharaoh!"

"Never!" Yami shouted and completed the gesture, shoving out his palm in a single brutal blow that severed Marik from the magician.

Arkana's forehead ceased to glow and he crumpled to the ground, unmoving.

Light pulled off the Millennium Puzzle with a sudden effort and returned to himself. "What happened," he exclaimed in his own voice. "Is everything alright?"

"We have to get him out of here! He's barely breathing!" Yugi said. "Marik took control of him and then Yami forced Marik out, but I think he did something to Arkana too."

Between the two of them they somehow managed to haul Arkana out of the arena and up, back to the surface. They sat panting on a park bench with the unconscious Arkana propped up between them when Tristan, Tea, Mokuba, and Yugi's grandpa came running over. Yugi almost thought he saw a frown ghost across Light's face, before he greeted everyone with a smile.


	3. Head Games

Marik Ishtar was a fool who wasted the power of the Millennium Rod, possibly the most powerful of the Millennium Items, on finding rare Duel Monsters cards in an attempt to get revenge on an ancient Pharaoh, who died five thousand years ago and was now locked away in a puzzle. He had some nascent aspirations for world domination, but even those were childish and overwrought. Light Yagami was the only one who understood the Millennium Rod's true potential and had the will to use it. With it, he could punish criminals far beyond Tokyo with a mere thought, and it would be impossible to trace it back to him until he revealed himself as the god of the new world. In the meantime, Light didn't even have to be in possession of the Rod himself. Marik Ishtar could be manipulated easily enough.

Light could feel the Millennium Rod approaching. Even though he wasn't touching the puzzle, he could tell that it was getting close. It was about time. According to the latest report, easily acquired from his father's computer - Light wasn't the only one tracking the leader of the "Rare Hunters" - Ishtar's ship arrived in the harbor about an hour ago. Then, it was just a matter of waiting for him to arrive. Light had no doubt he would come to the tournament.

"Hey Light!" It was one of Yugi Muto's imbecilic friends.

Their timing was _impeccable_.

Light put on his most benign smile as Tea Gardner, Joey Wheeler, and Tristan Taylor came running to meet him, again accompanied by Muto's grandfather.

"What's up, man?" Taylor asked. "Here to check out some duels?"

"He's got a duel disk, he must be participating in the tournament," Gardner cut in.

"Really?" Wheeler exclaimed. "That's awesome! We should duel!"

As much as Light would have enjoyed beating Joey Wheeler into the dust, it would have to wait. He could feel the Millennium Rod getting closer.

"I'm taking a bit of a break," Light said, "But I'd be happy to duel later."

"I know what'cha mean! See ya in the finals!" Wheeler's overconfidence was overwhelming. The only way he would get into the finals was his improbable dumb luck.

"Aren't you getting ahead of yourself?" It was a considerable understatement, but Taylor managed to approach reason.

"Well, I do need to crush a couple more duelists first, but I already have four locator cards!" Wheeler bragged as though he had accomplished anything more than defeating a few third rate children. "How many do you have?"

Before Light could provide a tactful answer, Gardner, who had wandered over to the other side of the street, called back to them, mercifully drawing the others' attention, "Hey, look at this!"

It seemed another one of their idiotic friends was putting on a show at the aquarium. They ran off to annoy him instead without another word to Light, finally leaving him in peace to wait for Marik Ishtar and his Millennium Rod.

It was not much longer before the Rod arrived. He heard the roar of the motorcycle just before it entered into view. Light took his time, walking down the middle of the street towards the garishly dressed motorcyclist, as he raced towards Light on a bright red bike. It swerved only at the last minute, but Light did not flinch.

A boy dismounted and took off his helmet to reveal wild blond hair that was sharply spiked on top. His outfit was even more absurd up close. His pale pink sleeveless vest was cut to show off his midriff, and his pants were tight. His forearms and neck were covered in golden bands, with an extra pair on his upper arms just in case that wasn't sufficiently ostentatious. He had even taken the time to bring out his eyes with black eyeliner.

He would be even easier to manipulate than Ryo Bakura.

"You're in my way!" Ishtar sounded like a spoiled child with a high nasally voice.

Light gave the boy his most charming smile. "Marik, is it? It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person. I'm Light Yagami."

"You!" Ishtar said as though it was an accusation. "What are you doing here? Don't you have a tournament to lose?"

"That's not very nice," Light said. "You don't have to worry about the tournament, I've already qualified for the finals. I'm here because I think we could benefit more from working together than being at odds. What do you say?" He held out his hand and smiled again.

"Why should I work with you?" the boy retorted. He clearly didn't have the intelligence to accept the offer and attempt to subtly manipulate Light, not that he would have had any chance at succeeding if he tried. "Unless you're here to give me your Millennium Puzzle, that is."

"Maybe," Light said with an innocent little laugh. "I'd like to work with you, and I was wondering if you would be interested in an exchange; your Millennium Rod for my Millennium Puzzle."

"Why?" Ishtar demanded again. "You are the Pharaoh's vessel, are you not? Why do you want to give me the Millennium Puzzle? What trick do you have up your sleeve?"

"No tricks," Light said, holding out his arms to show the boy that he wasn't hiding anything, not up his sleeves, at least. "After hearing your story back there, I couldn't help but wonder who this Pharaoh I've been working with really is. I didn't choose to become his vessel, you know. And if you and your family really have slaved for centuries to serve the Pharaoh, then you deserve his power much more than I do."

"Prove it," Ishtar challenged. "Prove to me that you are not merely trying to infiltrate my ranks under the Pharaoh's orders!"

The easiest route would have been to merely give the boy the puzzle. It was a convenient scapegoat, but Light didn't really need it anymore if he could manipulate Ishtar to use the Millennium Rod on his behalf. But even when he was not touching the puzzle, he could feel the spirit inside rejecting his decision. It didn't have the power to stop him from speaking at a distance, but if he touched it, it would take over and ruin everything.

Instead Light declared with an air of earnest indignation, "I'll do anything to make up for the wrong that's been done to you."

The boy considered for a moment, but he was too foolish to see Light's true trap. Finally, he decided on a test, "Help me capture Yugi Muto's friends and make them my servants so that I may use them against him. If you do that, then I will accept your loyalty."

"Of course, my lord," Light said, with a shallow bow for good measure. As foolish as they were, Muto and his friends were no criminals, but their sacrifice was necessary for the advent of Light's new world.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the boy grinning at the gesture. It would be too easy.

"What is your plan?" Light asked with a touch of eagerness, "Would you like me to introduce you to them?"

"Yes, perfect!" Ishtar crowed. "Just take me to them and I will do the rest, but if anything goes wrong, I will duel you on the spot, take your Millennium Item, and send your soul to the shadow realm!"

"Don't worry, Marik, I'll make sure it all goes to plan. You'll make a great Pharaoh. I would be honored to serve under you," Light laid it on thick, each word of disgusting flattery another push closer to his perfect world. He kept his smile sweet, though underneath he only felt the thrill of victory.

He saw the boy blush. When he finally regained his voice, Ishtar stammered, "Don't get ahead of yourself. You're not even my servant yet, first you have to help me capture Yugi's friends!"

The boy was right, Light wasn't his servant - he was the master and it was Ishtar who was the servant, but the boy didn't need to know that.

Ishtar's incompetent band of thieves was at the very least able to confirm that Muto's insufferable friends were still near the aquarium. Light was pleasantly surprised to find that they were correct. Joey Wheeler, Tea Gardner, and Yugi Muto's grandfather, Solomon Muto, were loitering just outside the entrance. Light took the lead as they walked into view, not that they would have been able to detect any kind of deception even if it was right in front of their face.

He called out to them, "Joey! Tea! I thought I'd find you here!"

"Is something wrong?" Gardner asked.

"I've got all my locator cards!" Wheeler shouted. "Are you coming to the finals or not?"

It seemed Wheeler's dumb luck had saved him once again, but it wouldn't last for long.

"I'd like to introduce you to my friend Namu," Light explained, gesturing toward Marik Ishtar so even these idiots would understand.

Ishtar stepped forward. "It's nice to meet you. Light told me so much about you."

"Did he tell you about how great a duelist I am?" Wheeler asked, delusional as always.

"Of course," Ishtar said. He was a good enough liar to easily convince Muto's friends, but that wasn't saying much. "That's why I wanted to meet you. I'm a duelist too, you see, but I'm not a very good one. I was wondering if you could give me a few tips. I'd like to at least win one duel in Battle City."

"Sure!" Wheeler took the bait all too easily.

As he started rattling off "tips," Ishtar's Rare Hunters, conspicuously dressed in dark cloaks, surrounded them. They grabbed Ishtar first, and then Light, and pretended to restrain them. They were not so gentle with Muto's friends or his grandfather. Wheeler put up a token fight, but they were all subdued and taken away without much difficulty.

Only then did the Rare Hunters release Ishtar, who ordered them to release Light as well, after a moment of basking in his superficial authority of course. The boy made no attempt to hide his insecurity, manipulating him would be all too easy.

"That went well," Light said with a smile, as he pretended to regain his bearings. "At this rate, your throne will soon be yours to claim."

Ishtar held his head up a little higher. He snapped, but his voice had lost its edge, "Don't get ahead of yourself! We haven't won yet, and if Yugi's friends escape, it'll be on your head!"

"Of course," Light said. It seemed that at the very least, Ishtar was smart enough to realize that Light could have easily been pretending to work with him so that he could rescue Muto's friends at the last minute, but as tempting as spending more time with those fools was, Light had bigger plans.

As they made their way to Ishtar's hideout on the pier, Light began to needle a little deeper. He remarked with all the sympathy he could muster, "I can't imagine how terrible it was living like that, waiting for a heartless Pharaoh, who would never come."

Light saw the emotion cross Ishtar's face as his words no doubt conjured terrible memories, but it was not quite enough. Ishtar remained silent in an attempt to preserve his weak facade of stoicism.

Light pressed a little harder, "And to have no one to keep you company."

That hit the mark. Ishtar answered bitterly, "I had company, for all the good it did me. All father ever cared about was serving a dead king and Ishizu was hardly any better. At least Odion is a good servant."

"That's terrible," Light exclaimed in exaggerated shock "To have no one who cares for you! How could your sister betray you like that? And Odion did nothing to save you from that horrible fate?"

Light took the boy's hand and looked him firmly in the eyes. His tone turned from shock to something more somber as he said, "Marik, your sister may not think I am worthy of the Millennium Puzzle, but I think it was a sort of destiny, having the puzzle so that I could help you claim your rightful place as Pharaoh. I see that you understand the terrors of this world, the terrible things people can do, and that as Pharaoh you will wreak vengeance on all those lesser Pharaohs who demand loyalty and torment their people, but give them nothing in return. There are so many cruel men who claim to be kings in this world, it needs a new Pharaoh to set it all right, and I see that Pharaoh Marik will be the one."

Light's performance was overwrought, but the boy was all too easy to read. As Light spoke, he could see tears welling up in Ishtar's eyes. He was truly starved for attention, mere sympathy and flattery were enough to pass what little defenses he had. It was almost too easy to shape the boy to his will.

When Light finished speaking, he held Ishtar's gaze for a moment longer. He could feel Ishtar's heart racing in his hand. At last, Light let go and Ishtar hastily turned away in an attempt to hide his face as he wiped the tears from his eyes and tried to reassume his overconfident facade. Light's work was done for the time being. Ishtar took on a fragile air of stoic confidence, staring ahead with his back ridgid. The boy likely didn't trust himself to speak, and didn't know what to say even if his voice would hold.

Neither spoke again until they arrived at the warehouse that served as Ishtar's base. Only then did Ishtar resume barking out orders to his Rare Hunters as though nothing had occured. He gained an entourage as soon as they stepped through the door. First to Ishtar's side was a tall man with a hieroglyphic carving that covered half his face. He must have been Odion. Though the other Rare Hunters came and went, he remained planted by Ishtar's side.

Light positioned himself between Ishtar and Odion, just a step behind, so he remained visible out of the corner of Ishtar's eye, and frequently out of Odion's range of vision entirely. Ishtar occasionally glanced back at Light, but hesitated to meet his gaze and did not acknowledge him directly. Odion frequently turned around to eye Light with suspicion. A few times, Marik even snapped at him to pay attention.

The prisoners were escorted to separate rooms in the warehouse. Another group of Rare Hunters soon returned with Mokuba Kaiba, who was thrown into the same room as Tea Gardner and Solomon Muto. Joey Wheeler was the only one restrained, but Ishtar did not ask for advice, so Light did not provide any. He had grander goals than ensuring Ishtar's foolish plans succeeded. He was not concerned about taking the blame no matter what happened. Marik Ishtar was already under his control.

All of Ishtar's Rare Hunter were soon occupied with their tasks, leaving Ishtar, Odion, and Light alone. Then, Odion spoke up, "What is he doing here? Why is he not restrained?"

It was too easy. The fool, Odion, was doing Light's work for him. Couldn't he see he was too late?

"Don't speak until you're spoken to," Ishtar snapped. "If you must know, Light has rejected the Pharaoh and volunteered to serve me instead!"

"Are you sure he's trustworthy?" Odion could not help but dig himself even deeper.

Ishtar's features warped in anger. "Are you questioning my judgement?" His anger vanished as quickly as it had come, leaving behind petty disdain. "He has proven his worth by bringing Yugi's friends to us, that is more than you have done."

"I'm sorry, Marik," Odion said, bowing low, "I did not mean to suggest-"

Ishtar interrupted with the order, "Go. Prepare to take control of the prisoners, Joey Wheeler first."

When they were alone Light said, injecting his voice with a hint of awe for effect, "You will make a truly powerful Pharaoh; you demand unquestioning loyalty. I would be honored to serve you." Light bowed for emphasis.

Ishtar's smug smile turned into a wild grin and he declared, "With the power of the Millennium Puzzle and the three Egyptian God Cards, we will be unstoppable!"

* * *

L stared down at the golden ring. Everything else in the cell was still, but it shimmered under the interrogation light. L had long since lost track of how much time he had spent locked away, trying to pry out the secrets of the entity that dwelled within. He had not accomplished nothing. An early victory had earned him a story about an ancient Pharaoh who supposedly created the Millennium Items from the souls of 99 thieves, and a child who, having survived the massacre, swore revenge. But it could have all been a lie. And even if it was true, if he was interrogating the trapped spirit of that thief and that Pharaoh's son now dwelled in the Millennium Puzzle, where did that get him?

L had made little more progress. He did not know the extent of the Ring's powers, even as he could feel it prodding at his mind. The Ring had said there were seven Millennium Items, but he knew little more about them than he had when he began. He had already known they were dangerous. He was no closer to uncovering who was responsible for putting just under fifty criminals in comas months ago - it had quickly become obvious that the Ring was not the culprit.

L could almost see a closed door in front of him. It appeared to be made of rough wood that did not quite fit in the frame of a clay shanty house. It should have been easy to push the door aside and see what secrets lay within the hut, but it did not budge. It was not the sort of house that should have held anything of value, let alone precious secrets, but they were there.

In his dreams L wandered through the ruins of a whole town of shanty houses, drawn inexorably to this same door. Sometimes the door remained infuriatingly shut, as it did when he was awake, but sometimes it would open and soldiers in white linen skirts would escort lines of rough prisoners down, into a bubbling cauldron. Their screams of agony still echoed in his mind. But now, as always when he was awake, the door remained shut despite all the force he thought to apply to it.

Sometimes, the spirit of the Ring would appear outside the door as a young man with wild white hair. The door never opened to let him out, though L was sure that was where he came from.

"Still trying to get in?" the spirit of the Ring taunted.

L stared at him, as though he could pry out the spirit's secrets with his mere gaze.

The spirit laughed because he knew L couldn't.

"Who are you?" L asked at last. "What are you? What are your goals? Why do you want the Millennium Items? What are they capable of?" The words echoed around the stone corridor between the shanty's wooden door and the heavy metal door to the walk in safe that housed L's own soul.

The words faded to silence.

L tried to open the door again. It did not budge.

"Do you want to play a game?" the spirit asked.

L had come to the door and tried to open it with force and questions countless times before all to no avail, but this was new. L cocked his head to the side in curiosity.

The spirit grinned. "A maze." The wooden door opened a crack, but L could not see inside. "If you want my secrets, you'll have to find them. And if you win, you'll have all the answers you could possibly want!" It let out a wild cackle.

It was a trap. L could feel it. This was how the spirit of the Ring intended to escape. L could feel it pushing at the walls of the cell like a wild animal.

L did not know exactly what its plan was, but it would not succeed despite its confidence. It could take control of his body, but the only way out of the cell was if Watari unlocked the door, and Watari knew better than to be fooled by the spirit of the Ring. Even if it threatened his life, Watari knew L could be replaced.

And this was his chance. L could feel the secrets beyond that door, something dark and powerful, but he was not afraid of the dark. The answers to his questions lay beyond that door, and he would find them. He would not lose.

"I accept."

* * *

"The Ring has escaped," Touta Matsuda thought he heard Watari say into his ear piece.

"What was that?" Matsuda asked, certain he had misunderstood.

"L has escaped with the Ring," Watari repeated.

"What? How?" Matsuda demanded, loud enough that people turned to stare at him. He dropped his voice, "What happened?"

"The door swung open of its own accord," Watari said as though it wasn't completely crazy.

"What?" Matsuda demanded again.

"The Millennium Ring began to glow and then the door opened," Watari explained, eminently reasonable. "I attempted to leave the observation room, but the door was locked and did not open again until L was outside with the Ring."

It didn't make any sense, but however it happened, Matsuda needed to find L as soon as possible. Who knew what the Ring was doing with him. Maybe it was searching for that poor kid, Ryo Bakura.

"I'm on it!" Matsuda said, "Do you know where he's headed?"

"I suspect he is coming to Domino City. I have tracked him to the station and saw him board a train bound in that direction," Watari said.

So Matsuda leaped to his feet and ran to the station as fast as his legs could carry him in the hope that he would not be too late. He did not know what he would do when he found L and the Millennium Ring - he didn't know what he could do - but he had to do something. He couldn't let the Ring succeed.

Matsuda's heart pounded and his muscles ached and he could hardly breathe from the exertion, but he was almost there when he rounded a corner and nearly ran into Tristan Taylor running the opposite direction. Somehow they brushed past each other and Tristan raced off without even acknowledging him. Matsuda spun around after him and realized that Tristan was carrying a girl on his back - it was a good thing they hadn't actually run into each other.

"What's going on?" Matsuda called after them as two men in dark cloaks dodged past him, close on Tristan's tail.

Matsuda needed to find L and make sure he was okay, but Tristan and that girl were clearly in danger. Matsuda knew enough to know that those men were Rare Hunters, and they were ruthless. L would have to wait just a little longer.

So Matsuda forced himself back into motion and ran after the Rare Hunters just before they vanished around the corner. He shouted at them, "Stop! Police!"

They ignored him. He turned another corner and Matsuda saw the cloaked figures stopped under an overpass up ahead. He had a sinking feeling - he doubted they'd stopped because Tristan had managed to give them the slip.

Matsuda tried again, "Stop right there! You're under arrest!"

One man turned to look at him this time, but he didn't seem threatened, exactly. He shouted at Matsuda, "There's nothing to see here, if you know what's good for you!"

Matsuda walked closer, readying himself for a fight. "Step away from the kids," he ordered.

"Hey guys, we got company," the Rare Hunter told the others, and they all turned to face Matsuda. Now that he was closer, he could see that there were three of them surrounding Tristan and the girl; two on his side and one on the other.

The odds were against him, but maybe between Matsuda and Tristan, they could manage. But the girl probably couldn't fight, she couldn't even run. They had to make sure she didn't get hurt.

Matsuda was just about to ask Watari for backup, in case things went south, which seemed pretty likely, when the Rare Hunters all stumbled and fell, one after the other. Matsuda pushed past them and caught up with Tristan, the girl, and another boy on the other side of the underpass. It was then that he noticed that the girl's eyes were covered with bandages.

"What's going on?" Matsuda asked at the same time as the other boy.

"Run now, talk later," Tristan said.

He was right, the Rare Hunters were starting to get back up. Tristan helped the girl back up onto his back and they all started off at a run down the street. Matsuda's legs burned, but he couldn't stop.

Matsuda whispered into his wire as he ran, "Pursued by Rare Hunters, need backup."

"Are you with L?" Watari asked.

"No," Matsuda said between gasps for air, "Was intercepted. With Yugi's friends."

"In here!" the other boy exclaimed as they rounded a corner, and leapt into the bed of a truck beside the road.

Between the two boys, they helped the girl up, and then Tristan and Matsuda clambered into the truck and laid down just as he heard the Rare Hunters running past. It felt like his heart was going to pound out of his chest, but somehow they didn't hear it, and the sound of their footsteps was soon overcome by the noise of traffic.

Matsuda's breathing and heart rate gradually slowed as they all waited, still and silent, until the other boy said, "The coast's clear."

Finally, they could all sit back up. The girl sat in a corner, her arms around her knees, while the boys caught up. Apparently they hadn't seen each other in a while.

Matsuda breathed into his wire, "Cancel backup, all clear."

"Speaking of which," the boy remarked, eyeing Matsuda and the girl, "Who're they?"

"Touta Matsuda," he said, "Nice to meet you. I met Tristan and the others at another Duel Monsters tournament. Who're you?"

"Duke Devlin," the boy said, and they shook hands, "Do you play Duel Monsters or are you just a spectator?"

"Just a spectator," Matsuda said with a little laugh.

"And who's she?" Devlin asked, with a glance at the girl.

"Off limits," Tristan said sharply. "Remember Joey Wheeler? She's his sister."

"Is she alright?" Matsuda cut in.

It seemed to take Tristan a moment to realize what he was referring to. "Oh yeah. She's fine, she just had eye surgery, but she's recovered. She's supposed to take off her bandages today, but the first thing she wants to see is Joey when she does, and he's at the tournament, so that's where I'm taking her."

"Do you know why the Rare Hunters were chasing you?" Matsuda asked.

"The whats?" Tristan said.

"Do you know why those guys were chasing you?" Matsuda tried again.

"No idea," Tristan said. "What's a 'Rare Hunter?'"

"Hey guys," the girl piped up, "If those jerks are after us, does that mean…" she trailed off.

"Mean what?" Devlin asked, just as Matsuda opened his mouth to ask the same.

"That they're after the others too," Tristan said. "Joey, Tea, and Yugi may be in even more trouble than we are now."

"Can you call them?" Matsuda asked.

"Good idea," Tristan said. He pulled out his phone and dialed each number in turn, but to no avail. "It doesn't mean anything necessarily, they're probably busy dueling," he said, mostly to the girl, Serenity.

"They could be in a lot of trouble though," Devlin put in.

Tristan shot him a glare. He turned to Serenity. "Let's go find them. That way we'll know for sure they're alright, and you'll get to take off your bandage."

They all climbed out of the truck. There weren't any Rare Hunters in sight. It was time Matsuda got back to searching for L.

"If you run into any trouble, just call me," Matsuda said. "I should go back to looking for my friend."

They all wished him luck, and went their separate ways. Matsuda could only hope that L hadn't gotten off the train yet. He had just started off back toward the station and was about to ask Watari if he had any more information when Matsuda heard a shout coming from a few blocks behind him. It was Tristan.

"I need backup! Repeat, I need backup!" Matsuda whispered into his wire as he ran to the source of the sound as quickly as he could.

He was almost at the source of the shout, hoping he wasn't too late, when Mai Valentine drove by with Devlin and Serenity in the back. Tristan was nowhere to be found. Matsuda shouted after them. The car screeched to a halt, and Matsuda ran to catch up with them.

"What happened?" Matsuda tried to ask.

"Get in or don't, apparently Tristan needs rescuing," Mai cut him off.

So Matsuda hopped in the car, and they sped off to find Tristan. He was a tougher kid than Matsuda had given him credit for - he had already dealt with the Rare Hunters by the time they arrived, and gotten some information to boot.

While Tristan climbed into the car and explained that Yugi and Joey were in danger on the pier, Watari reported that L had arrived in Domino City. Matsuda didn't want to leave the children to deal with whatever the Rare Hunters had done now, but he had to find L and the Millennium Ring. He explained his situation as vaguely as he could, as they zoomed across Domino City.

"I'm already in the finals," Mai said, "If you want, I can drive you around a bit and see if we can find your friend after we drop these guys off at the pier. That'd be faster than doing it on foot. I just have to leave when the finals start."

"That'd be great!" Matsuda exclaimed, that way he could find L and make sure everything was alright with Yugi and Joey.

It wasn't.

They all arrived at the pier to find Yugi and Joey engaged in a death trap of a duel. As Mokuba Kaiba explained it, the duelists were both chained to an anchor, which was suspended over the arena. When the duel ended, or after thirty minutes if it wasn't over by then, the anchor would drop into the ocean, dragging the duelists with it. The only way out was to win the duel, which would open up a little chest at the winner's feet, containing a key that would unlock their shackles.

To make a bad situation even worse, Joey was being controlled by the Millennium Rod, and Tea and an old man who was clearly Yugi's grandfather were being held hostage to ensure that the game was not interrupted. If anyone tried to interfere, a Rare Hunter would press a button to drop a crate, currently suspended above the hostages by a crane.

Matsuda was staring at the set up, trying to figure out how to free the hostages, when Mai remarked, "You know, if you're looking for someone, I bet Kaiba could help you find them." She pointed him toward the older Kaiba brother who was watching the whole affair with an irritated frown.

Matsuda hesitated. "I do need to find him, but this is more urgent. If we could just distract the Rare Hunter for a little while, I should be able to sneak over and get that remote out of his hands."

"That's pretty risky! What if he sees you?" Tristan demanded.

"I know," Matsuda said, "But if we don't do anything both Yugi and Joey could die. And we don't know what they'll do after the duel is over; they could kill the hostages out of spite if things don't go their way. We just need a good distraction."

"You morons should just stay out of my way," Seto Kaiba sneered from a little ways away, "While the rest of you were busy gawking, I have a distraction on its way."

"Great!" Matsuda exclaimed, pointedly ignoring Kaiba's tone. "What is it?"

"Stay out of my way. I don't need anyone's help," Kaiba said.

"Well," Matsuda dropped his voice to speak to the others in the hope that he wouldn't draw any more of Kaiba's ire, "That sounds like a large distraction, so if you could put together a smaller distraction, I could get closer to the hostages and grab the remote when Kaiba's big distraction comes. Could you maybe direct his vision over there" - he pointed in the opposite direction from the hostages - "so he won't see me as I approach?"

"If you're sure," Mai said, "But this better work. If those kids get squashed, that's on your head."

Matsuda began to edge around the pier so he was on the other side of the hostages, as Tristan, Mai, Devlin, and Serenity got into position. So far, so good.

"What are you doing over there?" he heard the Rare Hunter shout.

Matsuda froze. He turned to face the Rare Hunter, desperately hoping he wasn't the target. His whole body relaxed in relief when he saw that the Rare Hunter was looking at the others instead. It was working.

Matsuda crept around the crates, out of the Rare Hunter's sight. He was careful not to make a sound as he approached the pier where the hostages were. Then he heard the others begin to shout. They called out to Yugi and Joey. He could see them just on the edge of too close to the duel. The Rare Hunter began to shout back at them, waving the remote wildly.

Matsuda made a break for it. He moved as fast as he could without making too much noise, toward the body of the crane at the end of the pier. Once he was there, he could hide behind it and be safe until Kaiba's distraction came. Almost there! Almost! It was so close!

"Stop right there or they get it."

Matsuda froze. His heart rate jumped. He could see the Rare Hunter staring at him before he even looked up.

"Now, turn around and go back the way you came," the Rare Hunter ordered, brandishing the button. He walked toward Matsuda for emphasis.

Just a few more steps closer and he would be in range.

Matsuda didn't move. Even if he wanted to, he wasn't sure if he could.

"Go or you know what happens - splat!" the Rare Hunter threatened.

"Wait a second!" Matsuda nearly shouted, his mouth moving faster than he had possibly ever spoken before. He hardly knew what he was going to say before the words left his mouth. "You don't want to do that!"

"I will if you don't move, now!"

Against all reason, Matsuda held his ground, "Your boss wouldn't like that. You have those hostages to stop anyone from interfering with the duel, right? If you wasted them on me, then anyone could do whatever they wanted to stop the duel and there would be nothing you could do about it. I'm not going anywhere, see? Not interfering with anyone."

He hoped Kaiba's big distraction came soon…

The Rare Hunter did actually pause to consider it, but all too soon he said, "The boss said to drop it if anyone tries any funny business, and this looks like funny business to me."

Matsuda held up his hands in surrender, but still he didn't move. Insead he rambled on, "I swear, I'm not interfering with anything! If you had separated out the two hostages, sure you could kill one to stop me and then I'd probably go running back before you killed the other, but you've got one button that does in both of them at once, so you only really have one shot. Are you sure you want to waste it? Your boss would probably kill you if someone stopped the duel and you had already wasted the hostages on me."

 _Finally!_ He could not have hoped for a clearer signal. He heard the loud thumping of a helicopter before it entered into view. As soon as the Rare Hunter glanced away to search for the source of the noise, Matsuda lunged, grabbing the button out of the Rare Hunter's hand and then tackling the man to the ground.

Matsuda heard the helicopter getting closer as he restrained the Rare Hunter. It rammed into the crane with crash and knocked it into the water, bringing the crate with it. As obnoxious as Seto Kaiba was, he sure knew how to do a rescue! The crate exploded in the water with a boom and the spray from the explosion fell over them like rain. When the dust had cleared, all the others ran over to the hostages and helped unlock them.

 _It worked!_ _It actually worked!_ He could hardly believe it. That may have been the most stressful few minutes of his life, but it wasn't all over yet!

"Now that the hostages are free, we've got to rescue Joey and Yugi!" Matsuda shouted.

As soon as Tea and Yugi's grandfather were free, they all ran to the other end of the pier where Yugi and Joey were dueling.

"If any of you know how to pick locks, now's the time!" Matsuda called out to the others.

No one volunteered, but they hurried over to the makeshift arena all the same.

As they were running, they all heard a loud buzz. The duel had ended. There were only 30 seconds left until the anchor plummeted into the sea. If only the crane was still up, they could have used used that to keep the anchor in place while the locks were broken, but it would have taken too long to lift it.

Matsuda had another idea. "Just try to pry them open!" he shouted to the others. Then, he turned to Kaiba, "Seto Kaiba! Your helicopter! Could you steer it under the anchor so it doesn't fall?"

It was risky, it could get tangled in the chains, but it could also cut them, and if it came to it, that was better than nothing. They didn't have much time!

"I think it's totaled," Mokuba Kaiba said, "Running into the crane did too much damage."

"Damn it!" Matsuda cursed, though he probably shouldn't have in front of the child.

"The boxes are open!" Tea called out from the arena. "Joey did it!"

Somehow he had made it a draw. They had both lost all their life points, opening both of the little chests with keys inside. Tea helped Yugi out of his chains, while Serenity greeted her older brother, her bandages finally removed.

"Yes!" Matsuda hollered into the sky, "They're safe!"

"A little quieter, please," Watari said in his earpiece.

"Sorry," Matsuda whispered.

Now he just needed to find L, who had gone who knows where under the power of the Millennium Ring. That was why he was there, after all.

While the others happily reunited with their friends, Matsuda turned to Seto Kaiba, "Excuse me, I was told you could help me find someone."

"No," Kaiba cut him off. "I'm not chasing after any more geeks. I paid my debt to Tea for saving Mokuba, I'm done here."

Matsuda was about to protest when Mokuba Kaiba came running up to him. Matsuda wasn't sure whether it was to save Matsuda from his brother or to save Seto Kaiba from him.

"Mai said you were looking for someone," Mokuba said, "If they've got a Duel Disk, we can find them."

Matsuda's heart fell. "He's not participating in the tournament. Unless he stole one."

"I'll see what I can do," Mokuba said. Then he spoke into his collar, "I'm looking for a stolen Duel Disk."

"Understood," a man replied over a miniature speaker. Matsuda heard some clicking on the other end, and then the man gave them a series of times and coordinates.

"Thank you," Mokuba said. He turned to Matsuda, "Apparently there are a couple near the docks, and there's one that was just reported stolen that's at the cemetery."

It was starting to get dark. Going to a cemetery didn't sound like a good idea, but he had a feeling that was where he would find L and the Millennium Ring.

"Great! Thanks!" Matsuda exclaimed. He waved to the others. "I've got to go! Good luck in the finals! Call me if anything like this happens again!"

Then, he ran off.

It was a long jog to the cemetery, especially on out of shape legs. He just had to find L. So long as he found L, everything would be fine. He should have just met him at the station, but what would have happened to those kids then? There was no use in second guessing now. He just had to make up for his lost time.

His feet pounded against the pavement.

What would he do when he found L? The Ring was pretty powerful, wasn't it? He wondered if he could play that same trick as he did with Tristan and just grab it again, and then do what? Just stuff it in his bag again? All he knew was that it needed to be put in a safe where no one could ever get it again, or better yet, destroy it if that was even possible.

As he neared the cemetery, a fog set in. The sun had set by the time he reached a dark, wrought iron archway that gave way to a field of gravestones. In the evening light, the dark grey fog almost seemed purple. There was a chill in the air that somehow reminded him of the duel between Yugi and Pegasus at the end of the Duelist Kingdom tournament. Maybe he was just nervous about being in a cemetery at night, but he was looking for a dangerous Millennium Item. He couldn't help but wonder if he had stepped into a shadow game.

"L!" Matsuda called out into the night.

It felt wrong to use even the detective's alias out loud in public, but it was too late for that. Keeping L safe and alive was more important than preserving his anonymity.

He took a deep breath and stepped through the gate, into the cemetery.

He could almost hear people crying out, groaning in agony, but it was probably only the wind. The haze really did seem purple, but maybe he was just seeing things.

"L!" he called out again, "Are you here? Millennium Ring?"

He could see a glint of gold through the fog, and then a dim figure around it. It sent a chill down Matsuda's spine, but he ran toward it in the hope that it was L. First he could make out a white shirt that nearly glowed in the darkness, then dark pants and wild black hair. It looked like L, but he was standing up straight, his hair was even more wild than the detective's had ever been, and his eyes were sharply narrowed. Around his neck he wore the glowing gold Millennium Ring. In front of him were three teenage boys, cowering in fear.

"There you are!" Matsuda exclaimed, but he knew enough to be weary.

"Get out of my way or you'll be joining them in the Shadow Realm," L said in a deep, commanding, harsh voice that was not his.

Matsuda stepped between the boys and L, his arms out as though that could shield them. "I won't let you hurt them. What did they do to you?"

"We dueled and they lost," L said. It was not petulant, but disdainful and cruel.

There was a time to refuse to bargain with criminals, but now was not that time, not with so much at stake. "I'll stay out of your way so long as you leave them alone and let us all walk out of here."

It took a long time for L to reply. The wind howled and moaned. Maybe the real L was in there somewhere, doing something. Matsuda hoped he was.

Finally, L - actually the Ring using L's voice - said, "Fine. I don't have time for this. Go, but if you get in my way again, I will not be so merciful."

The purple fog faded to grey and the boys ran out of the graveyard as fast as they could. Matsuda followed L out onto the street.

"If you get in my way, I'll send you to the Shadow Realm without a second thought. Your weak friend will not be able to stop me," the Ring said.

"I won't do anything, I promise," Matsuda said, holding up his hands in surrender. "I just want to keep an eye on him."

The Ring scoffed, but said nothing more. He did not acknowledge Matsuda again as they wound through the darkened streets of Domino City. The Ring seemed to know where he was going, and Matsuda knew better than to question him. Now was the time to lay low.

A bright light flared in the distance, creating a halo around the half-complete stadium. It looked like that was where they were headed. They wound through the streets until they were white with its light and the walls loomed in front of them. L strode through one of the entry tunnels and Matsuda hurried after him. Even compared to the streets around it, the light inside the stadium was blinding. His eyes stung as he blinked everything back into focus.

"Matsuda!" Yugi and his friends called out, and ran over to him.

Yugi, Joey, Mai, Tea, Tristan, Duke Devlin, and Serenity had all made it, though it looked like only Yugi, Joey and Mai were dueling. Ryo Bakura had also joined them since Matsuda ran off to find L. He was eyeing L nervously, not that Matsuda blamed him. Now he also had to try to keep those two apart.

"Who's this guy," Joey jerked his thumb in L's direction, "And what's he doing with Bakura's Millenium Ring?"

"It's a long story," Matsuda hedged. "I'm here to keep an eye on him."

"You're all over the place, huh?" Mai said.

Matsuda was spared from further questioning by the arrival of another contestant. He was dressed like a Rare Hunter, in dark robes with an Egyptian eye on the hood. He was tall, and beneath his hood, Matsuda could make out a tattoo that covered half his face in hieroglyphics. This was Marik Ishtar, the leader of the Rare Hunters.

As the others talked among themselves, Matsuda finally got a look at who else was there. Light Yagami was standing on the outskirts of Yugi's large group of friends, next to another darker-skinned boy who Matsuda didn't know. There was L, of course, watching everyone from a little ways away with narrow eyes. And Seto and Mokuba Kaiba were overseeing the tournament - the older one was also participating.

Eventually, one of Kaiba's subordinates called them all to attention. "All eight of you are here. Now it's time to announce that although your locator cards led you here, this is not the site of the Battle City finals."

There was a broad cry of confusion, but everyone fell silent as the stadium lights turned toward the sky to illuminate Seto Kaiba's blimp, from which he had announced the beginning of the tournament. It was a terrible idea. They were going to all be stuck on a blimp for however long it took to complete the tournament with several magical objects of varying degrees of maliciousness, not to mention the leader of a criminal organization. It would take forever for the authorities to reach them if something went wrong, which it inevitably would.

"Wait a second!" Matsuda tried to stop it, but the only response he received was a pointed glare from L as the blimp landed in the center of the stadium and all the contestants and friends crowded clambered on board with varying degrees of enthusiasm and trepidation.

So, Matsuda followed L up the stairs and into the blimp.


	4. Card Games at 20,000 Feet

Seto Kaiba vs. "L"

This was a waste of Seto Kaiba's time. Whoever this "L" was, he didn't have an Egyptian God Card and he wasn't even much of a duelist. All he had was a stupid grin that was supposed to look intimidating, but just looked ridiculous. And now he was laughing maniacally about that "Shadow Realm" nonsense again. Seto couldn't believe that at his own tournament he was up against the crazy person.

It was time he put an end to this charade, and crush this waste of his time once and for all.

"Show yourself, Obelisk the Tormentor!"

All it took was one attack from the God Card, and his opponent collapsed. Pathetic.

Winner: Seto Kaiba

* * *

Taro Matsui, or Touta Matsuda, as he was calling himself, rushed his unconscious accomplice, "L," off the arena, bringing the Millennium Ring with him. The defeated Ring was Light Yagami's for the taking. It wasn't nearly as valuable as Marik Ishtar's Millennium Rod, but all of the Millennium Items were powerful enough that Light could not leave them in anyone else's hands. And if the spirit of the Ring was to believed - which was dubious at best - combined, the Millennium Items had a power even greater than all of their individual powers put together.

He did not have long to acquire the Ring, but he could not be too hasty.

"I hope his weird friend is okay," Tristan Taylor was saying as they all meandered to the elevator down from the dueling deck on top of the blimp.

"Yes, that's quite unfortunate," Marik Ishtar, now under the guise of "Namu" said, his voice stilted. His acting had been acceptable when they had planned out what he was going to say, but apparently improvisation was beyond him.

Light supposed he ought to rescue his "master." He put in, "It goes to show just how powerful those Egyptian God Cards are. We'll have to be careful when we go up against them!" He shot Ishtar a conspiratory glance and earned a quick smug smile in return.

It was all going to plan, not that these fools were clever enough to ruin it. All he had to fear was the inept interference of bumbling stupidity, and that was easy enough to turn in his favor.

Joey Wheeler exclaimed, "And you'll have to get through me first!"

"That shouldn't be too hard." Taylor hit Wheeler on the head in what passed for a friendly gesture - it seemed Seto Kaiba was right to call them monkeys.

"I did manage to beat you in the Duelist Kingdom finals," Light admitted with a little embarrassed laugh. He did not mention that it had been an easy feat, which would have been even easier without the interference of the Millennium Puzzle.

"I hope you'll be alright, Namu," Tea Gardner said. "I'm still amazed you made it to the finals after just a few tips from Joey."

"I got lucky, I guess," Ishtar said. His tone was still awkward.

If he wanted something done right, Light had to do it himself. "You're a better duelist than you give yourself credit for. I think you just needed the confidence boost of meeting someone like Joey Wheeler."

They finally made it to the elevator and there were enough of them that Light could easily suggest that he and "Namu" wait for the next one.

Once they were alone Light switched from one pretense to another. "I know it is a necessary evil, but I look forward to the day when you take the throne and I can make my allegiance to you known. It feels wrong to give undeserved compliments to fools at your expense."

"It will not be too much longer!" Ishtar declared, "As soon as we acquire the remaining two Egyptian God Cards, we can make them suffer for all their indolence!"

The elevator soon returned to the top of the blimp.

As they stepped inside, Light pretended to marvel, "And what power you will wield with all the Egyptian God Cards. It is clear that Seto Kaiba is unworthy of even one, only you could master the power of all of them."

A flush crossed Ishtar's cheeks. "It's is only a matter of time before I have all the Egyptian God Cards, and then I will be Pharaoh!"

Light grinned at him to mirror the boy's own eager expression. "It would be a mere token next to the power of the Pharaoh, but I think I may be able to acquire the Millennium Ring for you without much difficulty. The Millennium Items do rightfully belong to the Pharaoh, after all."

Ishtar considered the proposition for a moment. Finally, his greed and pride won over, and he assented, "Go at once, but if it proves too difficult, do not waste your time. Remember, our true aim is the Egyptian God Cards."

When the elevator arrived on the level where they were all staying, Ishtar went one direction, towards his own room, and Light went the other, in pursuit of the Millennium Ring. He had made a point of remembering where each person's room was, and had his memory failed him, he still would have heard a shout coming from Taro Matsui's room.

He ran to the source of the noise and threw open the door. Inside, was Taro Matsui, cowering before his no longer unconscious accomplice, who was wielding the glowing Millennium Ring. Matsui must have attempted to take the Ring for himself, but without a Millennium Item of his own to subdue it, it would have cost him his soul, if not his life, had Light not intervened. Matsui did deserve punishment for his crimes, but acquiring the Millennium Ring was more important. His comeuppance would have to wait.

"Stop!" Light exclaimed, stepping between Matsui and his accomplice.

"Get out of my way or I will take your soul too," the spirit of the Ring snarled.

"You're not taking anyone's soul," Light said. He pulled out the puzzle from his bag, but did not let it take control.

The spirit of the Ring cackled.

"I challenge you to a duel!" Light declared, "Your Millennium Ring for my Millennium Puzzle!" He turned to Matsui, "Go, escape while you can!" It would be better if he didn't have any witnesses.

The spirit of the ring gave another wild laugh. "If you want to throw away everything you have, then I gladly accept!"

"Wait! Don't do this!" Matsui cried out against all reason. Again, he was intent on ruining Light's plans. "Don't hurt him! He's not in his right mind!"

"I won't let him steal your soul," Light insisted, though it really was a waste.

The purple fog of the shadow realm was already setting in, but Matsui refused to budge. So Light let the spirit of Millennium Puzzle take control just enough for his demeanor to change, but he kept a hand firmly on the reins as they dueled.

For all the Ring's cackling, threatening, and boasting, Light won even more easily than he had expected.

"No!" Matsui shouted, as the spirit of the Puzzle took the spirit of the Ring in hand and banished it to the shadow realm with a shove. Unfortunately, he didn't have time to duel the criminals and banish them as well before the tournament resumed, but he could tie up that loose end later.

Matsui had rushed to his fallen accomplice's side and was attempting to rouse him.

The spirit of the puzzle wanted to return to its sanctum, its rescue complete, but Light wasn't quite done with it yet. He forced his legs forward, toward the Ring and its host, and extended his arm to push Matsui aside and take the Ring. Even though its spirit had been banished, he could still feel some malevolent force laying dormant inside of it. He tucked the Ring into his bag and then took off the puzzle and stowed it away as well.

Light let himself falter as he regained control. He blinked a few times, as though blinking into awareness.

"What happened?" he asked, sounding a little dazed. He continued more urgently, bending over the fallen criminal for a closer look, "Did it happen again?"

Unfortunately, the man's eyes fluttered open, and he gave Matsui and Light a wide-eyed stare.

"Thank goodness you're alright!" Matsui exclaimed.

Light helped Matsui walk the man to the bed. He curled up against the headrest, but did not close his eyes. There was something about the way he watched them that suggested some thought beneath his mute exterior. However, Light was far from intimidated. After all, the man had been foolish enough to fall victim to the Millennium Ring.

Before Light could leave on the pretense of preparing for the tournament, Matsui asked, "What happened there? What did you do?"

"I don't know," Light answered with some apprehension. "The Millennium Puzzle must have taken control. The last thing I remember was taking it out to duel the Millennium Ring."

"Well, whatever you did saved my friend from its control, so thank you," Matsui said. He hesitated. "But could I have it back now? You've seen how dangerous it can be; it's not safe in anyone's hands. I can make sure it gets locked away where no one will get to it."

Light feigned surprise, "What do you mean? Did the puzzle take it?"

Matsui nodded. "Could we have it back? We could also take the puzzle off your hands. It seems pretty dangerous too."

Light had hoped he would be able to get way without dealing with this, but he had expected it. "I don't mean to be rude, but it doesn't seem like the Ring was very safe with you."

Matsui gave an awkward laugh of embarrassment. "Yeah, that didn't quite go to plan, but now that we know the extent of its power we can keep it locked away where no one will use it. I don't know if Tristan told you, but I'm with the police. We can handle it for you kids."

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" Light insisted, keeping his voice level and not at all accusatory.

Matsui showed him a badge. It looked real, but Light knew better than that.

"I'm sorry, that could be a forgery," Light said as though he felt bad about it. "The Millennium Items are too dangerous and powerful to just hand them away, you understand. I'll just hold onto them until we land, you know they can't go anywhere until then, and then we can deliver them to my father directly - he's the chief of the National Police Agency."

Matsui hesitated - Light had him. "Kaiba has to have a safe somewhere on this blimp," he attempted with a glance back at his accomplice. He was still staring at both of them from the corner of the bed.

"You trust Seto Kaiba with the Millennium Items?" Light asked, incredulous.

"Maybe not," Matsui rescinded his suggestion. Still, he persisted, "But you're still under the power of the Millennium Puzzle."

"And your friend is under the power of the Millennium Ring," Light countered. This was going nowhere and he could see it would continue to do so indefinitely. He would have liked to just challenge Matsui to a duel and be done with it, but he had wasted enough time as it was. The others would wonder if he was absent, and even with the puzzle he did not want to be caught quite yet. So, he said, "I'm sorry, I have to go. The next duel of the tournament is in a few minutes and I still have to prepare."

"This is more important than a tournament!" Matsui protested, but Light was already on his way out.

"I made it to the finals, I'm not about to give up the chance to win it all. I've got to go, see you after the tournament." With that, Light stepped out the door, leaving the criminals to bide their time until their arrest - if Light didn't have time to give them their due before then.

He returned to his room with the two Millennium Items. He was considering possibly switching out some cards from his deck in preparation for the next duel. When the door slid open, he found himself face to face with a middle-eastern man in a turban and plain white robes, with large, golden hoop earrings, and a large golden key hanging around his neck. There was something familiar about him and something off. The puzzle could feel that he had the power of at least one Millennium Item and there was something else about him that it could not quite place.

"I am Shadi," the man said with a strong accent. "I am here because there has been a disturbance. You have interfered with the destiny of the Millennium Items. Who are you who possesses the Millennium Puzzle, the Millennium Eye, and now the Millennium Ring?"

Shadi did not wait for an answer. He held out the key around his neck and held it up to Light's forehead. Light could not move back or turn away.

As Shadi turned the key, the room vanished from around them and he found himself in an expanse of scouring white light. It saw all imperfections and rot, and burned them away until everything was pure and clean. Light alone was illuminated in a brilliant glow.

From his vantage point, Light could see Shadi struggling across the expanse toward a giant golden pyramid that was slowly eroding under the harsh glare. Step by step, Shadi strained against a nonexistent wind, shielding his face from the light's power. At last, he reached the door of the pyramid and went inside. Light did not know for how long he stayed alone in that unchanging expanse of light. Time did not wear upon him.

Suddenly, the key turned again against his forehead, and he was back in his room on the blimp, facing the turbaned man. Shadi seemed worn and his face had twisted into an expression of horror.

"You are not the rightful vessel of the Millennium Puzzle!" Shadi said, his voice shook with dire urgency.

The game was up. This man had seen all. Light's smile turned cold. "If you want it, you will have to win it. Let's play a Shadow Game, your Millennium Items against mine" - Shadi could hide nothing in Light's soul; Light could feel he had more than one.

"It is not my place to take the Millennium Puzzle," Shadi said. Somehow he dared defy Light even after experiencing the full force of his soul. "It is up to its rightful owner to win it from you."

Before Light could protest, Shadi vanished as though he had never been there at all.

* * *

Yugi Muto vs. Odion aka. Marik Ishtar

Yugi wanted little more than to defeat Marik once and for all. This was the man who had forced him to fight Joey - his best friend - and threatened his own life again and again. According to Ishizu, there was even more at stake, possibly even the fate of the whole world! And if he defeated Marik, maybe Yugi would finally be able to relax and just enjoy the rest of the tournament with his friends.

But he knew it couldn't be that easy. In each duel he had fought against one of Marik's Rare Hunters, there had always been some trick, some trap with dire consequences to keep him off guard and ensure their victory. Maybe it was thanks to Seto Kaiba that he couldn't set up another deathtrap. He had at least expected Marik to begin the duel by declaring it a Shadow Game, but he never did.

Yugi kept waiting for the trick to reveal itself, but the only tricks were Marik's trap cards, which were entirely within regulations. He did not taunt Yugi, as Marik had done through his Rare Hunters. He was even polite, addressing Yugi as "Mr. Muto" throughout the duel. Yugi thought it was part of some ploy at first, but it didn't seem like it.

Then, Yugi realized, maybe there was a bigger trick at play. Maybe this duel _was_ Marik's trick. Maybe his opponent wasn't Marik at all, but someone pretending to be Marik under his orders.

 _And who, then, is the real Marik?_

There was only one other person in the tournament that Yugi didn't know. Light's new friend. Namu. Yugi glanced over at him without even thinking about it, and for an instant he sensed a great evil that was not present in his opponent. And then it was gone, and he was just looking at an ordinary boy, who had been very nice to all of them.

Whether Namu was really Marik or not, he was not Yugi's opponent. He focused his gaze back on "Marik," or whoever he really was, and took another turn.

When his turn came back around, Yugi got up the courage to say, "I don't think you're really who you say you are. This has been a difficult duel, you're a really good duelist, but there haven't been any tricks, like all of Marik's death traps, and some of his Rare Hunters even cheated outright. I don't think you're Marik."

His opponent growled and out of the corner of his eye, Yugi saw a similar expression flit across Namu's face.

"You shouldn't spout such nonsense, Mr. Muto," his opponent said, brandishing his Millennium Rod.

"I don't think it's nonsense," Yugi insisted.

"I am Marik" - he hesitated, a war seemed to wage within him - "and I will now play my Egyptian God Card to prove it! Come forth, great dragon, and reveal your awesome strength in the name of the next Pharaoh, King Marik!"

The stone chest on the stairs of the holographic Temple of the Kings slowly opened to reveal the Winged Dragon of Ra card. It burst into a column of light that shot up into the sky. Yugi nearly tumbled backward in the shockwave that followed. The wind picked up into a fearsome gale. The clouds circled around the column of light.

"Show yourself, my beast!" he cried, raising his Millennium Rod to the heavens.

A golden dragon that glowed with the fire of the sun emerged from the clouds. It dwarfed his opponent's Temple of the Kings and radiated more power than any hologram should have been capable of. It let loose a fearsome roar.

"Dragon of Ra! Attack his life points directly!"

Yugi readied himself for impact, though he knew it held a power he could not possibly withstand. He hoped against hope that he would survive the blow.

But it never came.

The dragon did not move, but the clouds circled in around their duel. Lightning flashed down from the clouds and danced around the arena. Yugi wanted to flee and duck for cover, but his feet were fixed to the spot. In the distance he heard his friends shouting to run.

It happened so quickly he almost didn't see it. His opponent turned his head to the sky as though he accepted his fate and was hit with a single bolt of lightning that knocked him to the ground with a shout and shattered his Millennium Rod - it was a fake.

"Odion!" Namu - no, Marik - shouted from the sidelines.

The Winged Dragon of Ra vanished. The lightning stopped and the clouds began to disperse.

Odion struggled to his knees, but his strength was gone. He fell back to the ground and did not move again.

Winner: Yugi Muto

* * *

This was a waste of Light Yagami's time. To keep up appearances, he was obligated to join the others to watch Yugi Muto duel Marik Ishtar's servant, Odion, who was pretending to be Ishtar himself. The charade was easily uncovered and Ishtar had been too foolish to make use of it while was successful.

As Odion collapsed, Ishtar held his hands up to his head and let out a cry of pain. This Light could use. Light had a little time before "Namu's" true identity was revealed. He rushed to Ishtar's side.

"Namu!" he exclaimed, and then whispered, "Marik" - he raised his voice a little, but still kept it low - "Are you alright?"

He went ignored. At this rate, it would have been easier to take Ishtar's Millennium Rod and use it himself, but he was not foolish enough to risk it in full view of all the others. No, he could handle this, it just required a little finesse, which the boy lacked, but Light had in spades.

"I think Namu's being controlled by the real Marik!" Light said to the others. More softly, he spoke again, "Marik, what's wrong?"

"I think that is the real Marik," Joey Wheeler said.

"He even has the same rod that the other guy had," Tea Gardner put in.

 _Denial it is._

"He can't be," Light insisted. "Come on, Namu, snap yourself out of it!"

"It's too late," Ishtar hissed. He sounded like he was in pain.

"You're Marik, admit it!" Muto exclaimed.

Before Light could protest, Ishtar pushed him aside and faced the others. "Yes, it's true, I am in deed the real Marik, you fools! Now, at last, I can finish the job my pathetic servants couldn't!" For an instant, a golden eye glowed on his forehead and his face contorted in pain and rage. His voice took on an unnatural quality as he said, "Light, your puzzle, and the power of the Egyptian Gods will soon be where they belong!"

Then, he gave a shout of pain and recoiled once more.

It seemed the Millennium Rod contained a spirit after all, which was now warring with Ishtar for control. Light took on a guise of shock as Ishtar let out a howl of agony. When the sound faded into the night, Ishtar righted himself and gave a sinister chuckle.

* * *

Joey Wheeler vs. Marik Ishtar

"I hope you brought a parachute 'cause I'm blasting you right off this blimp!" Joey Wheeler shouted as the duel began.

He seemed to be winning at first, but after only a few attacks, Marik held out his Millennium Rod and declared, "Now listen to me, foolish boy. I'm afraid that practice time is over, so I'd like to take this match to the true home of duel monsters - the Shadow Realm!"

The dueling arena was consumed by a dark haze.

"Marik, end this now!" Yugi shouted from below, but to no avail.

He even begged Joey to surrender, but Joey had too much to prove. He could not throw away everything he'd worked for, everything he'd learned over the course of the tournament. He could feel the cards he'd won from each duelist he defeated calling out to him from within his deck, cheering him on.

But as Marik destroyed each of them in turn, he forgot why they had carried any value to begin with. They faded from his mind until it was as though the whole tournament had never occured at all. And then Marik began to eat away at deeper memories, the friends he had made at Duelist Kingdom, like Mai, Light, and Bakura, and then Tea, Tristan, Serenity, and even Yugi faded from his mind, until he was alone in the shadows.

The only things that existed were him and his opponent. Still, the duel went on. He stumbled through turn after turn, unsure why he was still playing. Some faint memory pushed him forward. People were shouting, but he didn't know why.

Then, Marik summoned the Winged Dragon of Ra.

 _It's over._

Someone he did not know jumped between him and the beast as it let loose a fiery blast, like a meteor headed straight for him.

"Yugi!" he cried out as the blast made impact.

He felt the heat first, and then the shockwave sent him flying into the banister.

He could hardly move, not even to check on the person who saved him. He did not hear Marik approach over the ringing in his ears. He only saw the tips of Marik's shoes by his face and felt his soul being torn from his body.

 _They're better off without me._

Winner: Marik Ishtar

* * *

Light Yagami vs. Mai Valentine

"I'm sorry for what happened to Joey," Light said as they each drew their first hand. "I understand if you're not up for dueling right now and would rather stay by his side."

"If you think I'm going to back down, guess again!" Valentine played one monster and put another card face down.

Her stubbornness would be her downfall. If only she had stayed out of Light's way, she would have been spared this fate, but it was easier this way. Light drew a card and played two face down.

"You don't seem too concerned about the people you call your friends," Valentine called him out. "You were more worried about Marik than about anyone else."

This duel would be the perfect opportunity to get her out of his way. He explained with just a hint of indignation, "Of course I was worried; I thought Namu was our friend too. It's still hard to believe that I had accidently helped Marik by introducing him to everyone. But I'll make it up to all of you by defeating him with my Millennium Puzzle. Don't worry, Mai" - he put on his most charming smile - "I'll make everything right for you."

"You'll have to get past me first!" She launched an attack on Light's life points.

He flipped over a trap card, but she used a counter trap of her own. The attack went through, but the duel was just beginning.

"And I'm fine," she said, "It's Joey and Yugi you should be helping."

Light made his arm begin to shake and exclaimed, "Mai, be careful!"

"What is it now?" she demanded, skeptical as always.

"I think it's the puzzle," Light said. "It's too dangerous, I don't want to hurt you, but I'm losing control. Please, surrender while you still can! It won't let me!"

"I've come too far to give up now!" She walked straight into Light's trap.

Light let another turn pass. Then he began to take the puzzle out of his bag, still shaking. "I can't stop it! I'm sorry Mai! I didn't want this to happen to you!" He let his voice fade as he put on the puzzle.

 _Call a shadow game,_ he ordered.

 _ **I refuse.**_

The spirit of the puzzle relinquished control and fled back into its depths, where even Light could not reach it.

Winner: Mai Valentine

* * *

Light Yagami had the Millennium Eye and now the Millennium Ring, both of which were thankfully free of any obstinate spirits. He didn't need the disobedient puzzle except as a form of insurance. But even Yugi Muto's willfully blind friends would see his current objective as a mercy. Marik Ishtar had outlived his usefulness. It was time for Light to do what should have been done long ago, and claim the Millennium Rod for his own.

As soon as his duel was over, Light took to the halls of the blimp to search for Ishtar.

"Light," Tea Gardner of all people called out to him, but her voice and affect were flat. "I, Marik, am controlling her. I am not the one in control of my body, but I still have some power over the Millennium Rod. Come and help me reclaim my body!"

"Where are you?" Light asked. Ishtar was as good as gone. Light did not bother to add any warmth to his voice.

"Come, I'll show you, before it's too late!" Gardner grabbed Light by the hand and led him through the corridor to Odion's room.

The door slid open and Light strode inside to find Ishtar bent over the unconscious Odion. In his hand was the Millennium Rod, which he wielded like a dagger, ready to kill Odion.

Light considered letting him go through with it, but Gardner intervened, "Stop! I command you!"

Ishtar looked up and turned to face Light and the girl under his soul's control. His hair nearly formed a mountain range on his head, only barely parting over his forehead to allow a glowing eye to shine through. He looked absurd.

Light cut straight to the point, "I challenge you to a Shadow Game. Your Millennium Rod for my Millennium Puzzle."

Ishtar cackled. "The winner will keep the Millennium Items, and the loser will be banished to the Shadow Realm!"

It was all too easy.

They walked side by side up to the dueling deck atop the blimp, neither trusting the other enough to let them go behind. They took their places on the arena. Gardner watched them from below as the duel began.

"I will not let the likes of you hold the Millennium Items," Light declared as he took his first turn.

Gardner chimed in, "It is my destiny to become the Pharaoh, not yours!"

"Neither of you are worthy," Light spoke his true thoughts at last. "I will take your Millennium Rod and seal you both away in the Shadow Realm where you will be able to inflict yourselves on society no more."

Ishtar cackled and Gardner protested.

The duel went on. As Light and Ishtar gnawed at each other's' life points, their bodies faded away into the shadows until they were only disjoint pieces held together by a single soul. It was not long before Ishtar summoned the Winged Dragon of Ra once more and set it on Light. He felt the full impact of the flames consuming the remainder of his body as he vanished into nothingness.

 _The world is rotten._


	5. Evil on a Blimp

Yugi Muto jolted into awareness as the world shook around him. Joey was jostled in his bed by the shaking blimp, but his eyes didn't even blink open.

The tremors stopped as quickly as they had begun.

Yugi rubbed the sleep out of his tired eyes. He must have fallen asleep the previous night in the chair by Joey's bed. The light streaming through the porthole said it was morning already. He had just begun to wonder what he could possibly do to save his friend from the Shadow Realm, when the blimp shook again.

Yugi gripped the bottom of the chair and planted his feet firmly on the ground to keep himself upright as the blimp swerved and quaked. Joey shook in his bed like a rag doll.

Again, the tremors stopped.

Yugi waited in his chair, his hands still gripping his seat and his feet still solidly on the ground, ready for it to start again at any moment. But it seemed it was done. He didn't want to leave Joey, but if it was something important, he needed to know what was going on. He hoped it wasn't Marik's doing, but that was all he could think it could be. It wasn't the weather - through the porthole he could see the clear blue sky, without a cloud in sight.

With a final glance back at Joey, he stepped out into the hallway. He met Tea who was walking by. She looked a little groggy, as though she'd slept even worse than Yugi had.

"How's Joey?" she asked.

"He still hasn't woken up," Yugi said.

They walked to the front of the blimp in silence.

All the others had already gathered at the helm. Seto Kaiba barked orders while the others chimed in with their own thoughts and questions. It felt empty without Joey. The others were all there, talking and shouting, but somehow it still felt much quieter without him. Joey belonged up there, shouting with the rest. At least it looked like Serenity had Mai looking after her.

Joey wasn't the only one gone. Marik, of course, was absent, as was Odion, and Ishizu was probably still back in her room. Yugi had hardly seen Matsuda since his friend with the Millennium Ring was knocked out by Kaiba's Obelisk the Tormentor in the first duel. Light was missing too. And now, it seemed like there was something wrong with the blimp.

Yugi just enjoyed playing Duel Monsters. Why did it always have to bring so much tragedy?

The blimp took another dive, and Yugi was thrown to the ground. He could feel the blimp shaking with the resistance from the water. He needed to get back to Joey! If they crashed, Joey wouldn't be able to swim! He scrambled to his feet as the blimp leveled out again and ran back to Joey's room.

"Yugi!" Tea shouted after him, but she had to understand.

As he ran, he heard someone taunting Kaiba over the intercom. Apparently the blimp had been hijacked by an old enemy of Kaiba's who called himself Noah.

Thankfully, Joey was still safe - as safe as he could be, at least. Out the porthole in his room, Yugi could see the blimp quickly approaching the water again. Before they made impact, the water gave way to metal. In the distance, he could see the metal platform taper off into a horizontal wing on the surface of the water. Just below the blimp, a lighter metal door slid open and the blimp lowered itself into the darkness.

Before Yugi's eyes had a chance to adjust, the blimp was illuminated by an array of spotlights. All he could make out through the porthole were dark metal walls in all directions.

The intercom turned back on and Noah declared, "It's time for you and your friends to exit the ship."

A line of turrets emerged from the wall, all aimed at the blimp. The message was clear, but Yugi would not leave Joey alone.

As though in response, they let loose a round of fire. Yugi threw himself between Joey and the porthole.

The bullets rattled against the wall, but they were safe. Yugi hoped his friends were alright in the helm. It had to be made of tougher stuff too, right?

The intercom fell silent. Yugi waited, but nothing happened. There was no more gunfire, no more announcements. The blimp did not move. The room was eerily quiet. He could almost hear Joey's shallow breathing. He could only wonder what happened to the others. Had they acquiesced to Noah's demands, or worse? He could not hope that Noah had just given up or decided to wait for them to leave the blimp of their own volition.

He was dreading leaving Joey alone when he heard quick footsteps in the corridor. Yugi froze. He hoped he would go unnoticed, but he readied for a fight he could not win. His first thought was that it was Marik, coming to finish what he had started. Or it could have been Noah, or maybe someone working for him, searching the blimp for any stragglers.

The footsteps stopped by the door, followed by a series of quick knocks. Yugi did not move. _Please leave. Please just go and leave us alone. I won't leave Joey. I won't!_

"Is anyone in there?" It was Matsuda.

Yugi heard Matsuda begin to walk away before finally found his voice, "I- We're in here."

For a moment, Yugi was worried Matsuda hadn't heard, but he soon heard him turn around and the door swung open. Thankfully, Matsuda was alone. He was not being threatened by Marik or Noah's guards that Yugi had conjured out of his imagination. Even his friend who had been possessed by the Millennium Ring was absent.

"Are you alright?" Matsuda asked as he stepped inside, closing the door after him, just in case.

Yugi nodded.

"How's your friend doing?" He stepped towards Joey.

"Still..." Yugi trailed off, unwilling to say it.

"I'm sorry," Matsuda said, looking a little sheepish. "We'll find some way to bring him back, don't worry," he promised, though Yugi could tell he wasn't even sure if he believed himself. Then Matsuda got around to the real reason he was there, "Do you know what happened just now?"

Yugi shook his head. "I just heard the announcements. I think the blimp was hijacked."

"Do you know if anyone else is alright?" Matsuda asked.

Yugi shook his head again. He hesitantly explained, "The others were in the control room. I went down before the first announcement to see what was going on, but I was worried about Joey."

Matsuda nodded. "Thank you, I'll check there next."

Yugi hesitated. He didn't want to leave Joey alone again, but he had to know if the others were okay. Finally, with a glance back at Joey, he said, "Can I come?"

"Sure," Matsuda answered.

So, they set off through the empty corridor. The only sound was their own footsteps that echoed around them as they walked. They really were the only ones there. As they rounded each corner, Yugi expected to see _someone_ , whether it was one of his friends looking for him, Marik brandishing his Millennium Rod, Noah or someone looking for them on his behalf, or even one of Seto Kaiba's employees. But they only encountered more vacant hallways.

They came to the elevator and stepped inside. Yugi tried to brace himself for the worst, but he would never truly be prepared. He hoped that Noah hadn't acted on his threat. He hoped his friends were okay!

The elevator doors slid open.

The bridge looked empty compared to how full it had been just minutes before. It was only occupied by two of Kaiba's employees, one of which was talking frantically into a headset, while the other was busy pressing buttons on the control panel.

"What happened?" Yugi asked. "Where is everyone?"

Both of Kaiba's employees stopped what they were doing and looked up as though they hadn't noticed Yugi and Matsuda arrive. One resumed speaking into the headset, his voice a little quieter than before.

The other pressed a few more buttons and then explained, "Mr. Kaiba and the others went to confront Mr. Noah."

"Is everyone okay?" Yugi asked.

"They seemed fine when they left," Kaiba's employee said.

 _But who knows what dangers they're facing out there…_

Yugi could have run out after them and and joined his friends to fight this Noah and put and end to his plan. But then Joey would be left on the blimp, in the Shadow Realm, all alone. And he didn't know what Marik would do without anyone there to stop him.

"I have to stay on the blimp to keep an eye on my friend anyway. If you want to go help the others, I can keep an eye on Joey too," Matsuda offered.

Yugi shook his head. "They're strong, and they have each other. I know they can do it. I can't leave Joey alone."

* * *

Matsuda took the elevator up from the help toward the kitchens. He had suggested that Yugi join him, but Yugi had declined in favor of returning to his friend. Yugi was probably right. He wasn't the only one with someone to return to. Matsuda hoped L was doing alright. It wasn't likely that anything that had happened while Matsuda was gone, but it was best if he moved quickly.

He stepped out into the large banquet hall where everyone had gathered for dinner the night before and Kaiba's men had selected who would be playing in each duel. Now, the room was dark and empty. Even the dragon that selected the duelists' numbers was bent over as though sleeping.

Matsuda had barely started off toward the kitchen when he heard the sound of another set of footsteps coming his way. At first he thought it was just an echo, but Marik Ishtar was impossible to miss as he emerged from a darkened hallway. On his forehead was a glowing golden eye, like the one on the Millennium Items.

Matsuda froze in place and readied for a fight. So long as Marik didn't use any magic, Matsuda was sure he could restrain him fine - as tall as he looked with his mountains of hair, he was just a teenager - but Matsuda knew he was no match for a Millennium Item.

Marik watched him with an almost bemused expression as he walked past, his Millennium Rod in hand. Hanging around his neck was the Millennium Ring. Matsuda stopped himself from asking how Marik got the Ring from Light Yagami. He suspected he already knew the answer. _What would Chief Yagami say if he knew Matsuda was there and had done nothing to stop him?_ But Matsuda didn't know what he could have done.

Maybe if Light was in a coma at least Matsuda could find him and get him to a doctor when they landed. He got up his courage and asked, "Where's Light? You had to get that Ring from him."

Marik cackled. "He's gone. His body has been consumed by the Shadow Realm! Take it as a lesson, all who defy me will meet the same fate!" He pointed his Millennium Rod at Matsuda.

He stood his ground, and no attack came.

Marik lowered his rod and left with a roar of harsh, wild laughter.

Matsuda only relaxed when the elevator doors slid shut and he heard it begin to move, carrying Marik away, no doubt to torment someone else. He needed to get back to L as quickly as possible. At least L hadn't done anything to earn Marik's ire. Matsuda hurried across the banquet hall and down the corridor Marik had come from. He only had to check a few doors, which concealed fully stocked storage closets, before he found an industrial kitchen. Inside, was another door to a walk in refrigerator, packed with leftover food from the banquet the night before - before all of the madness of the quarterfinals. He could hardly believe it had just been one night since then.

He grabbed some provisions for himself and a quarter of a cake for L that should last a little while, at least. There were urns for tea and coffee, but even without his hands full of food, they would have been too big and heavy to carry. So, he returned to L's room with the food and hoped it would suffice for the time being.

He did not encounter anyone else on his way back to the room. He knocked at the door to let L know he was about to enter, but he did not expect a response and his expectations were soundly met. He opened the door to find L crouched where Matsuda had left him, at the head of the bed. He had hardly moved from that spot since he had been freed from the Millennium Ring. He even slept curled up there.

L did not say a word as Matsuda entered - he had hardly spoken either. Instead, he watched Matsuda with wide eyes as he entered the room and put the trays of food down on the table.

"I'm back," he declared to break up the silence, though, of course, it was obvious, and he detected a hint of exasperation in L's expression, but he may have just imagined it.

"Do you want some cake?" he asked. With L acting like this, it was hard to keep his voice normal, but he tried. The last thing he wanted to do was condescend the detective.

Matsuda didn't expect an answer, but after a moment or two, L nodded.

That was a good sign. Matsuda was hungry - that was what had inspired the outing in the first place - but the cake came first. He removed it from the platter, cut a sizable slice, and set it on a paper plate with a plastic fork. This had nothing on what L was used to, but it was the best he could do for the time being.

"Here," he said.

He tried to hand L the plate, but L did not remove his hands from his knees, so instead Matsuda put it down on the bed in front of him, and then went to prepare himself a plate of food. By the time he was ready, the cake was gone. So, before he started eating, he got L another slice. He belatedly realized that cutting the cake up into slices was unnecessary. By the time Matsuda was done with his lunch, L had finished all the cake Matsuda had brought.

L closed his eyes in contentment and leaned back against the headboard. Eventually he spoke, his voice a little hoarse from disuse, "Thank you, Matsuda."

* * *

Joey lay on the bed, unmoving and unaware of the world around him. His shallow breathing was almost imperceptible. He was alive, but his soul was gone. There was nothing any of Seto Kaiba's doctors could do to to wake him up. No doctor could bring his soul back from the Shadow Realm. But there had to be some way to bring him back!

When Yugi had defeated Pegasus with Light Yagami's Millennium Puzzle, Pegasus had freed all the souls he had imprisoned. Maybe the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle - as dangerous as Yugi knew it was - could do it again. Light had probably gotten off the blimp, but Yugi hadn't seen him at the helm with all of the others...

Maybe Ishizu Ishtar knew something. She seemed to know more about the Millennium Items than even Light and Ryo Bakura did. Maybe she could help him bring Joey's soul back from the Shadow Realm. He hated to leave Joey alone, but he couldn't just wait for Joey's soul to come to him. If he didn't do anything, he would never have his best friend back. After everything that happened, he couldn't let Joey down!

Yugi wiped the tears from his eyes and strode out into the corridor with all the confidence he did not feel. He wondered if Marik was still there, stalking the halls. He hurried to the next room over.

He hesitated to knock on the door, but he had to be brave to save Joey!

There was no answer.

He ran over to the next door and tried again, and still no answer.

It took a few tries before he finally, "I have been expecting you," he heard Ishizu say from inside.

He cracked the door open and she waved him in. It was dark inside. His eyes took a minute or two to adjust to the low light. The room was nearly identical to Joey's, down to the chair Ishizu was sitting in positioned next to the bed, which was occupied by the sleeping Odion.

"Yugi, what are you doing here?" she asked once he had closed the door behind him. Now he could see that her eyes had widened in surprise. "Why are you not with Seto Kaiba and your friends?"

"I couldn't leave Joey." He hesitated. "Who were you expecting?"

"My brother will be here soon. His evil side desires to kill Odion because Odion is the only one who can keep it under control. You must leave before then or he will try to kill you too."

Yugi hesitated again, but if he didn't ask now he may never have Joey back. With all the resolve he could muster he asked, "Do you think the Millennium Puzzle could save Joey?"

"It is in your destiny," Ishizu said. Her answer wasn't entirely promising, though she said it with confidence.

Still, Yugi forged on, "Do you know if Light is still on the blimp or if he left with the others?"

"My brother sent him to the Shadow Realm. The Millennium Puzzle has fallen into Marik's hands," Ishizu said.

 _No! Not another! How could this happen? How many more friends will I lose?_

At least the others were out of Marik's reach, but they had walked into another danger. He could only hope they came back safe.

It was a terrible idea, perhaps the worst idea Yugi Muto had ever had, but it was the only way he could think to save Joey. "Then I have to take the Millennium Puzzle from Marik."

"If you wish, I can challenge my brother to a duel to distract him while you reclaim the Puzzle," Ishizu offered. "He keeps it concealed in his room and does not carry it for fear of the spirit of the ancient Pharaoh who he has betrayed."

"I don't want Marik to take you too!" Yugi exclaimed.

"The Puzzle cannot be left in his hands. It is a sacrifice that must be made." She did not budge.

Yugi protested, "What about Odion?"

She glanced down at him with worried eyes. Then, she turned back to Yugi, her expression resolute. "You must guard him. He will be in no danger while Marik is distracted, but he cannot remain here or Marik will destroy him. Here, use this" - she removed the Millennium Necklace and handed it to Yugi - "It is rightfully yours."

"I can't," Yugi protested again. "What if I'm too late and Marik reaches Odion before I can move him? I can't even lift him!"

"It is a risk that must be taken. Marik cannot be allowed to gain the power of the ancient Pharaoh," Ishizu declared.

Yugi couldn't do it alone! All his friends were away helping Kaiba. The only one left was Matsuda and his friend who had been possessed by the Millennium Ring. Maybe Matsuda could help him protect Odion.

"Go," Ishizu ordered. "I will challenge my brother and give you the time you need to steal the Millennium Puzzle from him. It is your destiny to save the world from evil."

Yugi reluctantly left Ishizu and Odion and knocked on every door until he found Matsuda's room. As he waited, he heard footsteps approaching from around the bend, and he knew only one person it could be.

Finally, Matsuda let him inside. Compared to Ishizu's room, it was brightly lit. Matsuda was also not alone. Crouched on the bed was his friend, now freed from the Millennium Ring. He watched Yugi with overly wide eyes as he stepped inside, but did not say a word.

Yugi hastily explained Ishizu's plan.

When he was done, Matsuda asked, "I can definitely help you move Odion, but are you sure this is a good idea? Marik is dangerous, and so is the Millennium Puzzle. Even if you do get it, how do you know it will help you save Joey?" He hesitated and glanced at his friend, before saying in a lower voice, "My friend here is the smartest guy I know, and even he lost to the Millennium Ring."

Before Yugi could say anything, the man on the bed spoke up, "I didn't lose." His tone was almost petulant, though his expression barely changed. He did not move from the corner of the bed.

Both Yugi and Matsuda remained silent, but he offered no further explanation.

"Anyway," Matsuda said, "Are you sure about this?"

Yugi nodded. "I think it's the only way. Unless you have a better idea."

Matsuda thought for a moment, but finally shook his head. "Be careful. Don't worry about Odion, I'll take care of him, just be careful with that Puzzle."

* * *

Ishizu and Marik Ishtar faced each other from across the dueling arena atop Seto Kaiba's blimp. The wind howled around them, but the sky above was a clear blue. Ishizu confronted her brother's dark side with solid determination, though she knew she would lose even without the power of her Millennium Necklace. Marik watched her with a cruel smile, equally assured of his victory and once he had won, he would kill Odion at last. In his hand he held the Millennium Rod, and around his neck was the Millennium Ring.

There was no referee to call the beginning of the match. They both shuffled their cards in silence, and then the duel began. Though there were no clouds in sight, a purple haze fell over the arena. The loser would be taken by the shadows and only the winner would remain.

* * *

Marik was distracted. Yugi had seen the elevator carrying Marik and Ishizu up to the dueling deck. Still, he carefully made his way down the corridor, afraid that if he made even the smallest creak, Marik would appear before him and send him to the Shadow Realm. Maybe that wouldn't be so bad, Yugi reasoned in an attempt to calm his racing heart as the sound of another too loud footstep echoed down the hall. Maybe, if he was in the Shadow Realm, he could find Joey there and they could escape together with all the others that Marik had sent there.

But Marik did not appear, and Yugi doubted that was how the Shadow Realm worked anyway.

He stepped lightly as he hurried to Marik's room. He held his breath as he turned the handle and pushed the door open. It was not locked. There was no evil grin or glowing eye facing him on the other side. The shadows in the darkness were just that. Still, Yugi did not dare turn on the light.

He closed the door behind him with an over loud click, shutting himself away into the darkness. He hoped there was no one there. _I am alone. Marik is dueling Ishizu. He is not here. I am alone. I am safe._ His heart raced anyway.

A golden glint caught Yugi's eye and he jumped. He nearly froze on the spot before he realized it was the Millennium Puzzle, hanging from a peg in the wall. He could feel it calling out to him. Everything seemed to slow. The thumping in his chest grew louder, but seemed to steady a little.

He approached the Puzzle as though in a daze. His hand reached out to it of its own volition. He came to a stop just in front of the golden Puzzle. He stared at it, hardly aware of what he was looking at.

 _It's dangerous._ The thought echoed in his head like a distant memory. It seemed impossible, but there he was, inexorably drawn to it. Ishizu was right. _It's mine._

 _No!_ He shook his head. It was Light Yagami's Puzzle. And it was not his. It was dangerous, just like the Millennium Ring. It called out to him. It wanted another host. Who knew what it would do with him, what it would have him do. He remembered the Puzzle's anger. It was ready to kill Pegasus. It almost killed Arkana too. It was too dangerous. Why would it help him save Joey?

But it was his only hope. The only idea he had.

With shaking hands, Yugi reached out for the Puzzle to pull it down from the hook in the wall. He grabbed it by the chain and tugged, but it did not budge. Only then did he see that it was locked to the hook. He gave another, more forceful pull, but Yugi alone was not strong enough.

Even now, he had come so far, just to fail. But he could not leave Joey there, in the Shadow Realm!

He glanced around the room for something, anything that could help him. Maybe he could make a lever out of something to pull it out of the wall. He hoped Marik was still distracted. He hoped Ishizu would somehow be okay.

He saw another glimmer of gold and froze again. For an instant he saw Marik standing there, with the eye glowing on his forehead, a cruel grin across his lips, and the Millennium Rod in hand like a deadly weapon. _I'm going to die._

But Marik was not there. Yugi's heart raced, but the danger was not real. The glint of gold was a small golden key left on a dresser. Maybe it was the key to unlocking the Puzzle. He could hardly believe Marik would be so careless, but he didn't seem entirely sane. Yugi grabbed the key and tried to unlock the Puzzle with shaking hands. He turned the key this way and that. He was about to give up when with a final twist, the lock opened.

Yugi dove to keep the Puzzle from hitting the ground. As the Puzzle landed in his outstretched hands, he felt something, like a jolt of electricity, but there was no presence in his mind, malevolent or otherwise. It rested in his hands like a golden pyramid, cold and lifeless. If the spirit of the Puzzle had been sent to the Shadow Realm with Light, then this was all a waste, but Ishizu had to know better!

Yugi held onto the Puzzle like it was his only hope and stumbled out of the room, he half expected to run into Marik as he burst out the door and raced back to his room, where Joey was waiting. He slammed the door shut behind him and leaned back against it. He could hardly breathe and it felt like his heart was going to beat out of his chest, but he had it. He had the Millennium Puzzle.

 _I will save Joey._

He stood there, clutching the Millennium Puzzle as his breath slowed and his heart settled to a nervous buzz. Still, he felt no presence stirring in the Puzzle. He half expected Marik to break down the door and demand it back.

A knock sounded at the door. Yugi felt it reverberate against his back. He did not move. His heart pounded in his chest again.

Another knock. And then he heard Matsuda call out, "Yugi, are you in there?"

Yugi forced himself to move. He stood up on his shaky legs and turned to open the door. Matsuda stumbled in, Odion draped over his back. Yugi stood by, not knowing what to do and not entirely willing to ask as Matsuda deposited him into a chair and fell back into another. Yugi stood there awkwardly, still clutching the Puzzle, as Matsuda stretched and caught his breath.

"You got the Puzzle," Matsuda said, a little dubious.

Yugi nodded.

"Are you okay?" Matsuda asked more urgently. He seemed ready to jump back onto his feet if anything was wrong.

Yugi nodded again. "I'm okay. I have the Puzzle, but I can't hear the spirit. I hope it's still there…" he trailed off.

Matsuda hesitated, but his curiosity seemed to win out, as he asked, "Can I see it?"

Yugi found himself reluctant, but he held out the Puzzle and handed it to Matsuda.

Matsuda took it for a moment and turned the golden pyramid over in his hands. He even held it up to his ear, as though trying to listen for the spirit, before handing it back to Yugi with a shake of his head. "I got nothing. Are you sure you'll be alright with them?"

"I'll be okay," Yugi said. "I should be able to protect them with the Millennium Puzzle."

"Okay," Matsuda said, though he didn't sound entirely convinced. "I'll be back soon. I shouldn't leave my friend alone for too long. I'm also thinking of checking on Ishizu Ishtar. Would you be alright if I brought her here too if, well, you know..." he trailed off.

Yugi nodded once more and Matsuda took his leave with a final concerned glance back at him. And then, Yugi was left alone with the Millennium Puzzle and the unconscious. Despite himself, he hoped Odion didn't wake up for the time being. Even though he wasn't Marik, he had still proven himself dangerous.

Yugi sat down in the chair across from Odion and examined the Millennium Puzzle as he had not had the opportunity to do before, when they had faced Pegasus together. He turned the pyramid over in his hands. It really was a puzzle. For everything Ishizu had said, it didn't belong to him. He wondered if Light Yagami was the one who had put it together or if he had found it already whole.

He didn't know at all what to do with it, so he took a deep breath and and said aloud, "Hello." The word echoed around the suddenly too quiet room.

Yugi heard no response and felt none in his mind. He glanced up. To his relief, Odion had not stirred and Joey sadly remained unmoving.

He tried again, "Yami, are you in there? I need your help. Please, Joey's gone. He's in the Shadow Realm and I need your help to get him back!" Yugi grew increasingly desperate as he spoke and received no reply. His eyes brimmed with tears, though he tried to blink them away. If the Puzzle couldn't help him, what could he do? Ishizu was probably gone now, thanks to Marik, who else could he turn to?

Then a voice echoed in his head, "Yugi." It was the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle.

Yugi wiped his eyes and answered with a shaky, "Yes."

The spirit of the Puzzle appeared before him, looking more like Yugi than Light Yagami.

"What happened? Why am I in your possession?" Yami asked, his eyes narrowed. Yugi could feel his suspicion.

Yugi explained, "I think Light lost to Marik. Marik had you and I took you from him because I need your help. Please, can you help me save Joey from the Shadow Realm?"

To his surprise, Yami's suspicions did not fade. "That is a convenient excuse, but how do I know that you are not merely after the power of the Millennium Puzzle?"

 _What?_ Yugi did not know what to say, he could hardly believe his ears, though the spirit of the Puzzle was not actually speaking aloud. He sat there a moment, his mouth agape in shock.

He stood and took the Puzzle over to Joey, who was still lying there, his soul banished to the Shadow Realm "forever," according to Marik. He nearly shouted, "Joey, my best friend, is in the Shadow Realm! I don't know what to do! I need your help!"

Neither Joey nor Odion so much as twitched at his outburst.

The spirit of the Millennium Puzzle flinched. Still, he gave Yugi a long searching look before he said, his eyes still narrowed in suspicion, "I sense no evidence of dishonesty in your soul, but still I cannot trust you. I do not know if this doubt is my own, but I cannot ignore it. Too many seek the power of the Millennium Puzzle for dangerous ends." He looked worn, even though he was not corporeal. "I propose a deal. My vessel is dangerous and I do not know what he is planning. I know you think he is your friend, but if you will listen to what I have to say, I will aid you in rescuing your friend from the Shadow Realm."

"What are you talking about?" Yugi demanded. Light was his friend too, and just like Joey he was locked away in the Shadow Realm all because he had tried to face Marik. Yugi protested, "My friends are lost in the Shadow Realm! We have to save them!

The spirit of the Puzzle had no sympathy. "In rescuing your friend, we will also release my vessel. You must understand the danger. He is not what you think he is. Only when you understand can I help you."

Yugi didn't like it. He didn't know how this deal the Puzzle was proposing would help it take over his body, but Yugi could not help but suspect that was the spirit's aim. But Yugi had no choice. If this was what it took to rescue Joey and Light, and probably Ishizu too, then it would be worth it.

"Fine."


	6. You Can't Handle the Truth

Yugi heard footsteps in the hall outside his door, getting louder by the second. Before he could even begin to panic, the spirit of the Puzzle took over and Yugi found himself watching his own body as he stood and readied to face Marik, or whoever it was. _Not safe_ , radiated off of the spirit of the Puzzle in waves.

There was a knock at the door and he heard Matsuda's voice as though it was a distant echo, "Yugi, it's me, Matsuda."

The spirit of the Puzzle did not release control. It still was not safe.

"Enter," the spirit of the Puzzle said. The sound came out in Yugi's voice, but it sounded deeper and more authoritative than anything Yugi had ever said.

Matsuda entered, Ishizu was not with him. He began breathlessly, "They were both gone when I got up there. I searched everywhere for her, but I think-" He stopped short and stared at Yugi for a moment before he hissed, "Damn it."

Yugi could feel the spirit of the Puzzle's intention. He wanted to challenge Matsuda to a Shadow Game. He thought Matsuda was dangerous.

"Stop!" Yugi shouted as loudly as he could, but he was not in control of his body.

Still, his body froze.

He did not speak aloud, but he 'heard' the Puzzle say in his mind, "He is not who you think he is. He is a thief and a murderer pretending to be a champion of justice to earn your trust."

"No!" Yugi protested, "That's not true! And even if he is, I won't let you hurt him!"

The spirit of the Puzzle seemed taken aback. "Why not? Are you in league with him?" The Puzzle's ire turned on him.

"No!" Yugi shouted again, "I just don't want to hurt anyone! He's not doing anything wrong! He's been saving people from Marik while I was getting you."

"Is everything okay?" Matsuda asked somewhere far away.

He went ignored.

"How do you know he has not killed Ishizu?" the Puzzle demanded.

"It was her plan! She went up to duel Marik and Matsuda just went to see if she was okay," Yugi insisted.

Ishizu knew she was going to lose when she proposed the plan, but it still felt like Yugi's fault. She still could have been okay - they were both nowhere to be found - but Yugi couldn't help the sinking feeling in his chest.

He heard the Puzzle ask aloud in a voice a little deeper than Yugi's own, "What do you think happened to Ishizu? Answer carefully."

Matsuda rambled, his voice high and awkward in comparison, "Well, I ran into Marik in the kitchens earlier and I saw that he was wearing the Millennium Ring, which Light took from eh- my friend, and I asked Marik about it because I was worried Light was lying around somewhere in a coma too, and he said that he had banished Light's body to the Shadow Realm, not just his soul. I think that's what he did to Ishizu. I nearly ran into Marik in the hall earlier - he didn't look too happy - but I didn't see her at all and I looked everywhere!"

The Puzzle nodded, taking in everything Matsuda had said. He said to Yugi, again without speaking aloud, "You see he is making excuses for himself. He is frightened of propper retribution for his crimes."

He could feel the Puzzle readying for a Shadow Game again.

"No!" Yugi exclaimed. "You can't do that! Even if he is a criminal, he can just go to jail like Arkana!"

"Why do you protect him so fiercely?" the Puzzle asked.

"I don't want anyone else to go to the Shadow Realm!" Joey was still lying there, unmoving. So was Odion, and now Ishizu and Light were probably trapped there in mind and body.

Matsuda's voice seemed distant as he asked, still nervous, "You're the spirit of the Puzzle, right?"

"Yes," the Puzzle said with Yugi's voice.

"What do you want with Yugi?" Matsuda asked, his words were braver than he sounded.

 _He's not a murderer._

"We have a deal," the Puzzle said.

"You get to take over his body in exchange for rescuing his friend?" Matsuda demanded. "He's just a kid! Let him go!"

Yugi could feel the Puzzle readying for a fight. It said, "This is between Yugi and I. Do not interfere if you value your soul."

"Wait! Let me speak!" Yugi said.

He didn't expect the Puzzle to relent, but sure enough he found himself back in his own body with a jolt. He stumbled and nearly fell over. Matsuda held out a hand to help him, but Yugi managed to regain his balance on his own.

 _Not safe_ , still seemed to radiate off the Puzzle in waves.

"It's me, Yugi," he said, his voice a little shaky.

"Can you take off the Puzzle?" Matsuda asked.

Only then did Yugi realize that it was hanging around his neck on the chain. Yugi lifted it over his head and set it down on the table. The spirit of the Puzzle did not protest, though he could feel its weariness until he had removed it entirely.

"Are you okay?" Matsuda asked.

Yugi nodded. "I think it's confused. It thinks you're a criminal, and it says there's something wrong with Light. It wants me to hear what it has to say about Light, and then it will help me rescue everyone."

"You're sure it's not just trying to use you?"

Yugi hesitated. "I don't think so," but he could not be certain.

"You don't have to do this," Matsuda said.

"If I don't, then Joey may be stuck in the Shadow Realm forever," Yugi protested. "And I can't help him without the Millennium Puzzle."

Matsuda hesitated. "Do you want me to stay and keep an eye on you?"

Yugi shook his head. "The Puzzle doesn't trust you. I think it would lash out again."

"You're sure?" Matsuda asked. "I don't want to leave you alone with that thing in a room full of unconscious people."

It took all the courage he had, but Yugi nodded. "I have to do it to save Joey. I don't think the Puzzle wants to hurt me, I just have to make sure it doesn't hurt anyone else."

Matsuda still seemed reluctant to leave, but eventually he did, promising to check in again in a few hours and insisting that Yugi get him if anything went wrong.

Then, Yugi was left alone with the Millennium Puzzle once more.

He was almost surprised to find that the Puzzle was still where he had left it, on the table in the center of the room. It glinted in the light, shadows and reflections dancing across its surface. Even though it was inanimate, it was impossible to deny that it was alive.

Yugi hesitated to reach out to it again. It was dangerous. It could have been trying to take over his body for its own purposes, just like Matsuda had said. But this was the only way he had to rescue Joey and all the others. He had come this far already, he wasn't going to give up now, not when his friends were counting on him!

He sat down at the table and picked up the Puzzle. The instant he touched it, he could feel the spirit's presence in his mind and see the spirit before him.

"You let him go," the spirit of the Puzzle said, sounding somewhere between annoyed and surprised.

Yugi nodded. "He's my friend."

He could feel the Puzzle's bewilderment. "You could do to choose your friends more wisely," it said at last.

"What was it you wanted to tell me about Light?" Yugi asked. "Then you have to help me rescue everyone."

The spirit of the Puzzle nodded. "A deal is a deal." He paused for a moment in consideration before he began, "Light is not who you think he is. I do not think he sees you as a friend as you see him. To him you are merely as an obstacle or something to be used. And he is dangerous," the spirit insisted. "He wants the Millennium Items and will stop at nothing to acquire them."

Yugi understood the spirit's words, but could not believe them. "Why would Light want the Millennium Items?"

"He believes the world is rotten. He wants to use them to scour it clean of all evil. His aims are good, but he is too harsh and will make an example of anyone who goes against him. He tried to turn his duel against Mai Valentine into a Shadow Game, but I refused. That is why he lost to Marik when he tried to claim his Millennium Rod. I refused to lend him my power."

Yugi could feel the Puzzle's conviction. It did not feel like he was lying, but Yugi had watched Light duel Mai, and that wasn't at all what he had seen. It had looked like the spirit of the Puzzle was the one who was out of control and wanted to send Mai to the Shadow Realm. Light had struggled against the Puzzle for the entire duel, throwing Light off his game and eventually resulting in his defeat. Or so Yugi had thought.

"It is Light's fault that you doubt me," the spirit of the Puzzle said - he must have sensed Yugi's thoughts. "He has been planning this ever since we dueled the spirit of the Millennium Ring at Duelist Kingdom. He has intentionally lied and deceived you so that you will not trust me. Though his aims are just, he is afraid that he will be discovered as the one who seeks to bring justice to this rotten world. By making you distrust me, he intends for me to take the blame for our actions and those that were his alone."

Yugi could not believe it. Still, he found himself asking, half-horrified, "What did you do?" He could not forget the Puzzle's terrible anger when they had faced Pegasus and Arkana.

"We have brought many criminals to justice," the spirit of the Puzzle said. He felt no shame or remorse. "Light identified them and I challenged them to Shadow Games and sent their souls to the Shadow Realm when they lost. It is more than they deserved for their crimes. However, Light was not content with that alone. He tried to pursue petty criminals to use them as examples to the rest, and wanted to punish those who spoke out against our actions, even those who are themselves champions of justice, and now he wants all the Millennium Items. He forced me to take Pegasus's Millennium Eye and had also claimed the Millennium Ring before he was defeated by Marik. He is dangerous and must be stopped."

* * *

Matsuda shut the door behind him with a sigh of relief. He still had a lot to be worried about, but he felt a lot safer behind a closed door. It was just a matter of time until he encountered Marik again, and he probably wouldn't get away so easily next time.

L was still perched on the bed with his legs drawn up to his chest. He watched Matsuda with wide, dark eyes, and chewed at his thumb, as he did when he was deep in thought. Matsuda was careful not to disturb him as he sat down at the table.

To his surprise, L spoke, "You didn't bring back any cake."

For a moment Matsuda wasn't sure how to respond. Finally, he went with a sheepish apology, "Sorry, I was busy looking for Ishizu Ishtar. I can't find her anywhere…" he trailed off. "I'm afraid Marik may have been telling the truth about sending Light Yagami's body to the Shadow Realm, and I think he did the same thing to her, unless he threw them off the blimp," he ended up rambling, more to himself than to L. Matsuda caught himself and fell silent.

L resumed chewing at his thumb. Maybe he was just hungry.

But it seemed he had actually been contemplating the case, because then he said, "He could have sent their bodies to the Shadow Realm."

Matsuda wondered if L had figured that out just based on what he had seen and what Matsuda had told him about what happened at the tournament, or if he had actually learned something from the Millennium Ring. L hadn't said anything about what it had been like under the Ring's control and Matsuda knew better than to ask.

Still, Matsuda's curiosity got the best of him. "Do you think there's a chance of getting them back?"

L thought for a moment before nodding, if with a bit of hesitation.

"How?" Matsuda exclaimed.

"A Shadow Game," L answered haltingly, and he didn't sound quite certain.

Matsuda hesitated. He knew it was a bad idea. L wasn't inclined to say much in the best of times, and being under the control of the Millennium Ring couldn't have possibly been fun. But his curiosity overwhelmed his common sense and he asked anyway, "Do" - beat - "How do you know all this? Did the Millennium Ring…" he trailed off.

L chewed at his thumb.

"You don't have to answer," Matsuda backpedaled as his common sense kicked back in.

But L answered anyway, "I won. I beat it in a Shadow Game."

"What do you mean? It took control of your body and escaped," Matsuda protested before he could stop himself.

"But I won the game," L said, almost petulantly.

"Wait, what game are you talking about?"

"It challenged me to a Shadow Game," L explained as though it was supposed to be obvious. "I won, so it had to tell me everything." He paused and shook his head. "No, it showed me everything."

"But then how did it escape?" Matsuda could not help but ask.

"I underestimated its abilities. It knew I would win. Somehow the Shadow Game enabled it to turn the headquarters into a maze. It has a power that the other Millennium Items don't." L almost seemed to shudder at the thought. "It turned the end of the maze into the door out of headquarters. I got my information, but it escaped and took control of my body while I was distracted."

"So the others can't warp reality like that?" Matsuda clarified, just to be sure.

L shook his head. He explained with some reluctance, "The Millennium Ring doesn't just contain the spirit I attempted to question. There is something else in there, something much more powerful and more destructive. The spirit of the Ring thinks it's a god that was summoned by the creation of the Millennium Items that is now mainly contained in the Millennium Ring."

"A god?" Matsuda asked in disbelief. With all the magical ancient Egyptian artifacts floating around, he should have seen it coming, but somehow it still came as a shock. It pretty much confirmed that they didn't have any chance of destroying the Items, but maybe they could still be locked away somewhere?

 _What have we gotten ourselves into?_

* * *

The spirit of the Millennium Puzzle felt the Ring and Rod approaching before Yugi heard Marik's footsteps, and so Yugi sensed it too.

"Let me face him," Yugi felt the Puzzle say.

Yugi hesitated. What if the Puzzle just wanted the Millennium Items as it said Light did? And even if it didn't, for all the things Marik had done, Yugi didn't want him to suffer the same fate he had given Joey. It just wasn't right.

The Puzzle must have sensed his uncertainty, as it insisted, "He does not deserve your mercy. And this is the only way to bring back your friends. He must be defeated in a Shadow Game as he defeated them."

As Yugi stood frozen in indecision, he heard Marik's footsteps approach and stop in front of his door. He heard Marik banging against the door. It crashed open, and the spirit of the Puzzle took control. Yugi was terrified, but his heartbeat remained steady and his stomach did not constrict.

"I'll be taking that back now," Marik said, almost sounding bored. "And then I will send Odion to the Shadow Realm once and for all, as I should have done years ago."

Yugi could sense the Puzzle's intent before it could speak. It was ready to challenge Marik to a Shadow Game and send him straight to the Shadow Realm.

 _No! Don't!_

"He deserves-" the Puzzle began to protest. His thoughts were conveyed directly to Yugi's mind.

Yugi cut him off, "Please, just stop him from hurting them!" He nearly begged.

"The Puzzle is not yours to claim," the spirit said aloud at last. "I command you to leave here at once. Everyone in this room is under my protection."

"High and mighty Pharaoh," Marik taunted. "Your Millennium Puzzle is no match for my Millennium Rod and Ring!"

He held out the Rod. It glowed and Yugi was struck in his very soul, as though his life points were being drained away. He could feel the spirit of the Puzzle's pain too, but even through the pain, the spirit caused the Puzzle to glow and struck Marik with the same force. Marik recoiled and writhed in pain.

Marik relented, but the Puzzle did not. Marik was frozen to the spot in terrible agony.

"Stop!" Yugi cried out, reclaiming his body as his own.

The Puzzle stopped glowing and Marik stumbled as his body returned to his own power.

"Your Puzzle and your Egyptian God Card will be mine," Marik cried, but he beat a hasty retreat.

Yugi shut the door behind him and collapsed into the chair by Joey's bed. He could feel tears pooling in his eyes. He was tried and afraid and so helpless.

"Why?" Yugi demanded of the Puzzle aloud, his voice hoarse with emotion. "Why would you do that?"

The spirit of the Puzzle appeared beside him, almost corporeal. He countered, "Why do you show such mercy? He has sent many to the Shadow Realm, including your closest friend. I could feel your anger. In sending him to the Shadow Realm, you would save them all and prevent him from doing any more harm, and you would show any others who would wish to do such a thing that it will not be tolerated. Yet, you refuse. Why?"

"I don't want anyone to be sent to the Shadow Realm," Yugi cried. "Of course I hate Marik for what he did, but no one deserves that, not even him! We'd be just as bad as he is." Yugi's voice fell, "And maybe there's still some good in him somewhere."

The spirit of the Puzzle watched him with something like wonder in his eyes. "You know that even before his other personality revealed itself, Marik was not a good person."

"Yeah, but you heard what he said after we defeated Arkana. Maybe we could show him that revenge won't solve anything, that throwing people into the Shadow Realm isn't the answer." Yugi gave the spirit of the Puzzle a pointed glance. After a pause, he asked, "Do you think we could separate him from his dark side?"

The spirit of the Puzzle hesitated. "Perhaps. If we challenged him to a Shadow game, we may be able to make the terms such that his evil side is banished if we win. But even then there is no guarantee that we will be able to convince the less evil Marik to abandon his cause."

* * *

Time lost all meaning, locked away in a metal box in the middle of the ocean. At some point, Yugi must have dozed off in the chair, because he blinked back into awareness. The Millennium Puzzle rested in his lap, with his hands around it. In the chair opposite his, on the other side of the table, was the still unconscious Odion.

Yugi could feel the spirit of the Puzzle watching him as he stretched and stood and carried it over to the bed, where Joey lay, unmoving. He shouldn't have expected anything different. Joey's soul was in the Shadow Realm. Scaring Marik away hadn't done anything to change that.

"The only way to get your friend back is to defeat Marik in a Shadow Game," the spirit of the Puzzle answered Yugi's unarticulated question. It showed neither sympathy nor disdain, merely stated what was fact.

Yugi nodded and wiped the tears from his eyes.

"Why do you care so much for these people?" the Puzzle asked, as though Yugi's reaction confused it.

"They're my friends!" Yugi said without a second thought.

The Puzzle's confusion did not abate.

"Didn't Light…" Yugi trailed off.

The incorporeal spirit of the Puzzle shook his head. "You may call Light your friend, but I can assure you that he felt no such compassion, for you or anyone else. He only thought of others as threats, tools to be used, or rot to be scoured from the earth."

"But," Yugi began to protest, but he did not know what to say. Light was his friend, wasn't he?

Yugi tried another approach, "What about you? Haven't you ever had friends? You were a Pharaoh once, right?"

The spirit of the Puzzle nodded. "Ishizu gave me a vision of my past. It was familiar, but I have no true memories. I may have had friends once, but I do not know."

"I'm sorry," Yugi said. He could not imagine losing his friends. He hadn't always had them, of course, but the bond they had formed was so strong, he could not imagine it being broken, even by thousands of years. Somehow, there would always be some part of his friends with him no matter what.

 _The Dark Magician._ The card in both of their souls popped into their minds unbidden.

"I do not know," the spirit of the Puzzle answered the unspoken question.

They sat there in silence, neither entirely certain what to say. Yugi watched Joey, but he knew nothing would happen. Joey would not awaken of his own accord.

Yugi would do whatever it took to save his friend.

A knock sounded at the door, interrupting his meandering thoughts.

 _Is it Marik again?_ That was his first thought, but the spirit of the Puzzle didn't sense the Millennium Rod or Ring, so it probably wasn't Marik.

"Is everything alright in there?" He heard Matsuda ask from outside the door.

Yugi readied for the Puzzle's violent response. He tried with all his will to keep control, but to his surprise, the Puzzle did not even contest. He still felt the distant fear of _not safe_ , but there was some curiosity too.

"I'll show you," Yugi directed his thoughts to the Puzzle, "He's our friend too."

The spirit of the Puzzle did not contest. "We shall see."

Aloud, Yugi called out, "Come in."

The door opened and in stepped Matsuda. He eyed Yugi warily.

"He is afraid." Yugi felt the spirit of the Puzzle's suspicion. _He is guilty._

"Are you okay?" Matsuda asked. "Yugi, are you in control?"

Yugi nodded. "I'm alright," he said at last. "The Puzzle still doesn't trust you, but he hasn't taken over and I think he's stopped trying to send you to the Shadow Realm." Yugi shot a pointed glance at the spirit's ghostly form.

"I will only intervene if he threatens you," the Puzzle acquiesced. It looked like that was the best Yugi was going to get.

"That's better, at least," Matsuda said with an awkward laugh. He hesitated. "I don't want to worry you, but I saw Marik leaving the blimp."

Yugi's heart dropped and his eyes widened in fear. His friends were in danger. He could feel it. As wary as he was of the Puzzle, he didn't have any more time to delay. He had to stop Marik from getting whatever he was after before it was too late. It could have been a trap, but it didn't matter. Marik had to be stopped, and the Millennium Puzzle was the only thing that could do it.

Matusda must have seen it in Yugi's expression, because he said, "Wait a second, don't do anything rash! Marik is dangerous, you should be careful."

But Yugi's mind was made up. "I have to protect my friends. And I have to face Marik eventually anyway. Defeating him is the only way to save Joey."

Matsuda hesitated, but finally he seemed to resign himself to Yugi's plan, "Okay, but you don't have to go alone. So long as Marik is off the blimp, everyone here should be safe. I can come with you and provide at least a little bit of backup," he trailed off.

Yugi felt the spirit of the Puzzle resisting. He could almost hear the Puzzle's thoughts: _Do not trust him. He may have some ulterior motive. He could be trying to take the Millennium Items for himself._

"Stop it," Yugi retorted in his mind. "I told you, he's our friend. He's just trying to protect me from Marik and from you."

"Is everything alright?" Matsuda asked. Even though Yugi had not been speaking aloud, the silent conversation must have shown on his face.

Yugi nodded. "I think so. The Puzzle still doesn't trust you, but I would appreciate the help" - he glanced back at Joey - "I'm used to having my friends by my side."

The Puzzle did not protest, though its wariness did not fade.

Yugi glanced over at Joey again and readied himself with all the determination he could muster. "We'll get Joey's soul back, and everyone else's too," he said, as much to reassure himself as Matsuda and the Puzzle.

So they stepped out of Joey's room and hurried down the corridor, to the helm of the blimp. Kaiba's employees looked frightened and let them off without protest. They had probably seen only a glimpse of Marik's power. Marik was dangerous, but that was why Yugi had to stop him before he got to his friends.

 _We will stop him._ The Puzzle's thoughts were strangely reassuring in his mind.

Yugi and Matsuda stepped off the blimp, into a cavernous hall, more than large enough to hold it. The ocean and sky were nowhere in sight; they could have been anywhere behind metal walls and ceiling. Each step they took echoed into the darkness. They had no chance to hide, but it didn't sound like there was anyone else there. They just had to find Marik, that was all, and then they could leave, Yugi reassured himself. But truth be told, Yugi didn't even know how his friends were doing without Marik coming after them.

 _We will defeat anyone who threatens them._ Yugi could feel the Puzzle's thoughts as though they were his own, subduing his fear with steady certainty. Yugi couldn't help but envy the Puzzle's confidence a little, though he could feel some of that dangerous anger simmering beneath the surface.

"L said he saw Marik go this way," Matsuda pointed to what looked like a service passage lined with a net of pipes of all sizes.

Yugi nodded. The Puzzle could feel it. The Millennium Rod and Ring were down there, and therefore so was Marik. He stole himself and led the way. There was no other choice. He would face Marik. He would save his friends. He could feel the Puzzle's anger more acutely now. He wanted Marik to suffer for what he had done.

"There's some good in him," Yugi protested, but it sounded weak, even to him.

"Are you okay?" Matsuda asked - Yugi realized with a jolt that he must have accidentally spoken aloud.

Yugi nodded.

There was a pause before Matsuda said, "You know, you don't have to do this. There has to be some other way-"

"There isn't any other way!" Yugi snapped and stopped in his tracks. Once he had started, the words just kept coming, as much directed as Matsuda as the spirit of the Puzzle and perhaps even more just to let it all out in a messy, tearful flood, "This is the only way. I don't want to hurt anyone, but I have to save Joey and all the others, and all Marik's done is hurt people. I don't know if there's any good left in him, but I have to try, right? Even after everything he's done, I can't just send him to the Shadow Realm!"

For what felt like a long time, they just stood there in silence. Matsuda probably wanted nothing to do with a weakling like him now, but that was okay because it was dangerous and it was probably best if Yugi went to face Marik alone. Yugi could feel all of the Puzzle's confusion and guilt and anger and protectiveness and uncertainty.

Finally, the spirit appeared before Yugi and said with all the confidence Yugi did not feel, "We _will_ save your friends and attempt to draw out whatever good is left in Marik."

Yugi gave a weak nod and wiped away his tears. He turned to Matsuda and said, his voice a little hoarse, "You don't have to come. It'll be dangerous."

"What are you talking about?" Matsuda asked. "I can't leave you to face Marik alone. Is everything alright? Did the Puzzle try to do something?"

"I'm okay," Yugi answered, still a little shaky. He took a deep breath. "We just have to find Marik."

He continued on, down the corridor on increasingly steady legs, Matsuda not far behind. He could feel the Rod and Ring getting closer as they rounded a corner. The only light came from flickering bars above their heads. The tangle of pipes grew thicker and sprawled across the floor, until they covered the ground. Up ahead, there was a locked door lined with bright yellow security tape and marked in the middle with a large red X. The pipes gave way to tile floor, and on the floor right in front of the door were large hunks of metal that looked like they had once been a robot, smashed in two. The keypad by the door was cracked.

 _Marik was here._ Yugi didn't need the spirit of the Puzzle to tell him that, but he could feel the thought radiating off of him anyway.

The hallway forked to the right in front of the door, and so they continued on in that direction, no doubt following Marik's foot steps. They were getting closer, the Puzzle could feel it. They heard a loud bang up ahead and quickened their pace in silent agreement.

They heard the echo of wild laughter and nearly began to run.

They soon came upon another, wider doorway, or at least what had once been a doorway. The doors had been blasted off and lay crumpled on the ground, giving way to a much large chamber.

 _He's here._

Marik stood, Millennium Rod raised, before a large metal column that occupied most of the room. It dwarfed him, but it was no match for the Rod's power.

"Stop!" Yugi called out. The spirit of the Puzzle provided him with the next words, "I challenge you to a Shadow Game for possession of your Millennium Items."

Marik turned to face him with an evil grin and an eviler laugh. Yugi braced himself for the impact that was to come.

"I accept," Marik sneered. "I will take your Egyptian God Card and your Millennium Puzzle, and the world will cower at my feet!" He held up his Millennium Rod and the room filled with the purple haze of the Shadow Realm.

"And if I win," Yugi spoke up despite his fear and racing heart, buoyed by the Puzzle's confidence, "You have to release everyone trapped in the Shadow Realm, and your good side!"

Marik merely laughed. "I have something more interesting in mind!"

Marik raised his Millennium Rod again and an hourglass descended from the fog above. It was half-filled with sand and inside crouched-

"Joey!" Yugi called out to his best friend. "Can you hear me?"

Marik laughed again. "He's too busy slipping into the Shadows. Once our duel ends, he'll be gone!"

"No!" Yugi cried. "I won't let you!"

But there was nothing he could do as Marik returned Joey to the shadows from which he'd emerged.

"I'm afraid it gets worse," Marik taunted. "He's not the only one who's in danger here! Meet my next victim!"

Marik waved the Millennium Rod and Yugi found himself suspended in mid air, looking down at the dueling arena and his own body.

"Yugi!" he saw himself cry out, but the voice was deeper and more confident than his own - it was the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle.

"Do you understand what's at stake now?" Marik said, "Lose the duel and Yugi goes to the Shadow Realm!"

But Yugi wasn't the only one who had been separated from his body. Suspended in the air across from him was the unconscious less-evil Marik Ishtar. There was still good in him, Yugi was certain of it.

Marik explained, "If I lose, the shadows will take him!" No matter what happened, Marik had ensured that he would win.

But Yugi had seen this before. In the duel against the spirit of the Millennium Ring, the Puzzle had been able to switch the spirit of the Ring and his host, Ryo Bakura. If only they won, maybe the spirit of the Puzzle could do it again.

* * *

The Pharaoh banished the Winged Dragon of Ra from play, sending Marik's dark side with it in a flash of light. The bright violet light faded and the dust settled to reveal the rest of Marik Ishtar. He looked battered and worn, and his legs shook, almost too weak to hold him, but he was alive.

With what little energy he had left, Marik declared, "For the first time in years, I'm making the right choice. I will honor the Ishtar name by surrendering the duel." As he spoke, he put his left hand over his duel disk in the sign for surrender. "I surrender this duel to the Pharaoh!"

The final remaining piece of Marik's dark side vanished into the shadows and the purple fog of the Shadow Realm faded, giving way to the inside of the metal-bound compound once more. Yugi found himself back in his own body, with the spirit of Millennium Puzzle at the back of his mind. A crowd had gathered on the balcony, overlooking the tall column of machinery. All of his friends were there, and they were safe at last.

"We have to go, the whole place is gonna blow!" Tristan shattered the brief illusion of peace.

Even if Marik had been defeated, they were still in danger from the boy who had hijacked the blimp, Noah.

The Puzzle was still wary, but Yugi extended a hand to Marik and said, "Come on."

"Let's go!" Tea insisted.

After a moment of hesitation, Marik took Yugi's hand and they all ran back down the maintenance hallway, to the blimp as fast as their legs could carry them. Marik stumbled, but with the others' help, they all made it back just as the blimp was beginning to lift off the ground. The stairs were still open and standing in the doorway was Joey, ready to do something absurdly reckless to save his friends.

It was only then that it hit him, _We did it!_

Yugi ran even faster to meet him. Joey helped him up onto the hovering stairs and all the others soon followed, crowding into the helm of the blimp as it rose up, out of the cage that had been holding it, and over Noah's sprawling base. They had hardly cleared the top when a rocket came whistling to the ground. They had maybe a second to brace themselves for impact before it hit and the shockwave sent the blimp, and everyone in it, flying.

Yugi lay there on the ground as the blimp slowed and leveled out. When it finally seemed steady enough to stand, he forced himself upright and Joey helped him to his feet. Out the window, they could see Noah's base vanish into the distance. No more rockets came. They were safe. Whatever Kaiba had to dish out, they could all face it together. And maybe they would finally be able to just enjoy the remainder of the tournament for once. Yugi only wished he could have faced Joey in a proper duel.

"Is everyone okay?" Light Yagami called out from the doorway - he was safe too!

There was a general response of agreement, though Marik was glaring at Light for some reason. Yugi hoped Marik wasn't about to pull anything - his evil side was gone, right?

"Just got knocked around a blimp after spending who knows how long as a robot monkey, but otherwise I'm fine, thanks for asking," Tristan retorted.

"Are you okay?" Yugi asked.

Light nodded. "I think so. But where are we? You said we're on a blimp?" He glanced over at Tristan. "And what are you doing with my Millennium Puzzle?"

 _Oh no._

"We're at the Battle City Finals," Yugi explained, "Remember? You dueled Marik and he sent you to the Shadow Realm. I just defeated him and brought you back. We defeated him - I couldn't have done it without the Pharaoh's help."

Light shook his head. "Battle City? What's that? And who's Marik?" He looked down at the Millennium Puzzle that hung around Yugi's neck, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

He had mentioned having large gaps in his memory before when he was under the control of the Puzzle.

"This must be part of his plan!" The spirit of the Puzzle challenged. Yugi could feel its anger.

He looked down at the Puzzle and back up at Light. One of them was lying, he just didn't know which.

…

…

…

 _Shit._

* * *

 **Note: Thank you to everyone who has stuck with me on this ever-lengthening journey! Thank you for reading, and thank you to everyone who has left kudos or commented!**

 **Again, the story continues.**  
 **This is as far as my collaborator (scarhoax, who you can find on Archive of Our Own) and I got in planning out the series scene by scene, but we had some ideas for how to wrap everything up in the third installment, which will encompass the Waking the Dragons arc of Yu-Gi-Oh. At this point, it has been some years since I have last watched Yu-Gi-Oh, so I will have to rewatch the season and plan everything out before I get to writing it. A year or more may pass before I begin posting the next and final installment in the Millennium Death Note series, but I assure you, the end is in sight!**

 **Again, my thanks to everyone who has made it this far!**  
 **-V Tsuion**


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